Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026

07:00
In Ovo Intravascular Injection in Chicken Embryos
Published on: June 3, 2022
Development, differentiation and manipulation of chicken germ cells
Yoshiaki Nakamura1, Hiroshi Kagami, Takahiro Tagami
1Division of Germ Cell Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institute of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan. ynsu@nibb.ac.jp
Development, Growth & Differentiation
|January 9, 2013
Summary
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) transmit genetic information across generations. Avian PGCs
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Germ cells are crucial for genetic inheritance, originating separately from somatic cells during embryonic development.
- Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the sole embryonic cells capable of transmitting genetic information to offspring.
- In avian embryos, PGCs migrate via bloodstream to gonads, offering unique accessibility for research and manipulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development, migration, differentiation, and manipulation of avian germ cells.
- To discuss the potential of germ cell technologies in agriculture, biotechnology, and research.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on avian germ cell development and migration.
- Analysis of recent advancements in PGC collection, transplantation, and long-term cultivation.
- Discussion of germline chimera production and transgenic bird generation.
Main Results:
- Avian PGCs utilize blood circulation for migration, facilitating their accessibility.
- Established methods allow for PGC collection, transplantation, and cultivation without compromising germline potential.
- These techniques have enabled the production of germline chimeras and offer pathways for transgenic bird development.
Conclusions:
- Avian PGCs represent a valuable model for studying germ cell biology due to their accessibility.
- Recent technological breakthroughs significantly advance germplasm preservation, transgenic applications, and fundamental germ cell research.
- Germ cell technologies hold substantial promise for revolutionizing agriculture, biotechnology, and academic biological studies.
Related Concept Videos
Cellular Differentiation
How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...
A zygote is a...
Gastrulation
Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...
Determination
During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In contrast, determination...
