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The Study of Primordial Germ Cell Development as a Tool for Gene Transfer in Chickens

The ability to introduce novel genetic material into the genome of commercial poultry has been impeded by a lack of kowledge regarding the origin in the early embryo of the target cell of interest, namely, the germ cell. Hence, this project investigated the emergence of primordial germ cells (PGCs) during the early development of the avian embryo to aid in efforts to produce transgenic poultry on a routine basis. The strategy was to introduce foreign DNA into the area of the unincubated embryo that is destined to give rise to the germ line. The objectives of this project were: 1) to identify and localize a subpopulation of cells in the early embryo which will give rise to PGCs, 2) to determine the best location and stage of development to transfer donor cells for efficient germline chimerism, and 3) to transfect donor cells to produce transgenic/germline chimeric embryos. We show that by using the monoclonal antibody SSEA-1 and by various cell culture techniques that germ cells appear to segregate from the somatic lineages at St. X., a process that is gradual and continues through St. XIV. Using microsurgical transplantation between quail and chick embryos, we demonstrated that the inner 1/3 of the area pellucida between states X-XII gives rise to about 2/3 of the germ cell population at the time of their residence in the germinal crescent. Because of the non-localized emergence of PGCs, attempts to introduce foreign DNA into clonal precursors of germ cells through liposome-mediated transfection yielded unacceptable levels of efficiency. However, through our investigation of germ cell origins, an in vitro model of germ cell differentiation was developed that could offer a means of determining the factors required for the long term culture of avian PGCs thereby providing a convenient means of manipulating the avian genome.