An attempt to hybridize Drosophila species using pole cell transplantation

We have made hybrid embryos in Drosophila by pole cell transplants, by transferring pole cells from two species, D. rajasekari and D. eugracilis, into sterile D. melanogaster hosts. These females were then mated to melanogaster males and the older these females were, the further their hybrid offspring developed. In the case of the rajasekari/melanogaster hybrids, the embryos form cuticle but had defective heads, while the eugracilis/melanogaster hatched as larvae that grew but did not moult to the second instar. Hybrid pole cells could be transferred to melanogaster hosts but they failed to make eggs.