ABSTRACT
Somatic and germline chimeras can be formed in the chicken by transferring stage X (E.G&K) blastodermal cells recovered from the unincubated embryo into recipients at the same stage of development. The frequency of somatic chimerism appears to be dependent on the genotype, the source of cells within the donor embryo, and the degree of developmental synchronization between the donor and the recipient. Survival of chimeric embryos during development appears to be related to the genotype of the donor/recipient combination. Dispersed blastodermal cells can be cultured, transfected, or frozen prior to their introduction into the recipient and, therefore, are potential candidates for experiments and techniques that require access to the germline. Applications of these techniques could include the production of transgenic chickens and the crypopreservation of the genome. Data supporting the feasibility of each of the manipulations required to achieve these applications are presented.
