Manipulations of germ-cell populations in the gonad of the fowl

Bresler, M., Behnam, J., Luke, G. and Simkiss, K. (1994) Manipulations of germ-cell populations in the gonad of the fowl. British Poultry Science, 35 (2). pp. 241-247. ISSN 1466-1799 doi: 10.1080/00071669408417688

Abstract/Summary

1. Embryos of the domestic fowl have been partially sterilised by injecting the drug busulphan into 24-h incubated eggs. 2. Some of these embryos were injected with primordial germ cells (PGCs) after 55 h of incubation to attempt to repopulate the gonads. 3. Primordial germ cells transfected with a defective retrovirus containing the reporter gene lac Z were shown to settle in these sterilised gonads. 4. Quantitative histology of 6-d embryos showed that busulphan produced 75% sterilisation but that PGCs could repopulate these gonads. 5. The technique of producing such germ line chimaeras is of value in studying cell kinetics, gonad differentiation and the production of transgenics.