Genetic analysis of avian stem cells and the application for poultry breeding

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26450376
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal production science
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: Kagami Hiroshi 信州大学, 学術研究院農学系, 教授 (80308303)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小野 珠乙 信州大学, 学術研究院農学系, 教授 (10177264) ; 鈴木 俊介 信州大学, 学術研究院農学系, 助教 (30431951)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ニワトリ / 幹細胞 / 始原生殖細胞 / 遺伝的特徴 / 生殖キメラ / 細胞育種

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Regeneration of tissues and organs by stem cell differentiation has hardly been achieved in poultry. In the present studies, stem cells from the early embryo or the primordial germ cells (PGCs) from the circulating blood of the early embryos were isolated and the developmental mechanism was analyzed. These stem cells and primordial germ cells were used as donor and transplanted into the recipient. Donor stem cells derived from chicken early embryo can differentiate into various cell lineages including germ line. It was also revealed that germline chimeras can be efficiently produced using the primordial germ cells in early embryonic circulation. Furthermore, we cultivated efficient culturing methods of primordial germ cells. Genomic editing was performed on these cultured primordial germ cells and knockout of the ovomucoid control gene in egg white was performed for the first time.
These results seemed to contribute to innovation of cell breeding in poultry in the future.

Free Research Field

家禽発生工学