ABSTRACT
Molecular biologists and members of the poultry industry have much to offer each other, but each group must learn to understand the language, expectations, and constraints of the other. Strategies for mapping the chicken genome and for the production of transgenic birds that have undergone site-directed alterations of the genome are reviewed in detail as they exemplify two widely different types of research that could have important implications for the industry. Conceptually, the poultry industry is familiar with strategies involving mapping and selection, albeit by classical methods, but the development of transgenic birds, especially those produced by gene targeting, represents a radically new departure. The genome mapping technology is likely to afford incidental technological benefits for the industry throughout its development, but the time frame for the fruition of gene targeting strategies is uncertain and necessitates the introduction of several novel technological developments. Both programs rely heavily on experience gained in other species, and both will provide benefits that will be unlikely or impossible to achieve by conventional practices in the industry. More effective communication between molecular biologists and members of the poultry industry must be developed, and the two groups must unite to improve the quality of reports in the popular press on our joint work and to prepare the public for the innovations that the industry should soon experience as a result of research in avian molecular biology.
