Establishing Germline Chimeric Chickens Using Primordial Germ Cells

Chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) are used to restore and conserve genetic resources of some endangered birds or flocks of domestic chickens. When PGCs are transferred from a donor to a recipient, they can survive and gain sexual maturity in the recipient chicken. This indicates that PGCs retaining exogenous genes can proliferate and develop in recipient gonads, and proves that transferred PGCs are effective sources for establishing transgenic and germline chimeric chickens. The PGC transfer method has been used to produce germline chimeric chickens and may become popular in the field of reproductive science. Germline chimeric chickens have the potential to reconstruct and reproduce endangered birds, including both domestic and wild species.