METHOD FOR PRODUCING TRANSGENIC CHICKENS USING LONG TERM CULTURE OF CHICKEN PRIMORDIAL GERM CELLS

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for producing transgenic chickens obtained from long-term cultures of avian PGCs. Also described are techniques to produce said PGCs and transgenic birds derived from prolonged PGC cultures. These PGCs can be transfected with genetic constructs to modify the DNA of the PGC, specifically to introduce a transgene encoding an exogenous protein. When combined with a host avian embryo by known procedures, those modified PGCs are transmitted through the germ line to yield transgenic offspring. Also described are compositions comprising long-term cultures of PGCs that can be genetically modified by gene targeting, that can accept large amounts of foreign DNA and that contribute to the germline of recipient embryos.