Can quails be the surrogate parents for chickens? Control of gamete differentiation by heterologous primordial germ cell transplantation

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K21377
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 42:Veterinary medical science, animal science, and related fields
• Research Institution: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Oishi Isao 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 生命工学領域, 主任研究員 (50314472)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 迎 武紘 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 生命工学領域, 研究員 (40803309)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 始原生殖細胞 / ニワトリ / ウズラ / 異種移植 / 配偶子分化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To investigate the possibility of rapid gamete differentiation of chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs), we transplanted chicken PGCs into quail embryos and analyzed their dynamics. First, to visualize the behavior of chicken PGCs in quail embryos, we established EGFP-expressing cells. The cells were transplanted into the blood stream of quail embryos, after that they were migrated to genital ridges and observed in the quail gonads. These results suggest the conserved cellular dynamics of chicken PGCs in quail embryos and the possibility that the rapid differentiation of chicken PGCs in the transplanted quails.

Free Research Field

分子生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ニワトリ始原生殖細胞を用いた生殖工学は、新育種技術による品種改良や遺伝子組換えによる有用タンパク質の鶏卵内大量生産などさまざまな社会課題の解決に繋がる重要な技術である。解決すべき重要な課題はニワトリ配偶子分化に半年以上の長い期間が必要なことである。ニワトリ始原生殖細胞の配偶子分化を性成熟期間が極めて短いウズラの体内で実現できればニワトリ遺伝子操作や生殖工学技術の飛躍的な改良への発展が見込まれるが、本研究により実現の可能性が見いだされた。