An attempt to produce transgenic chicken mediating sperm cells as vectors

An attempt was made to produce possible transgenic chicken via sperm cells as vectors. In vitro incubation of ejaculated chicken spermatozoa with exogenous gene (MiwZ DNA) showed a possibility of the incorporation of foreign gene into sperm cells, which was examined by the PCR analysis. The embryos obtained from the eggs inseminated with DNA-treated spermatozoa indicated an existence of transferred exogenous gene in the blastodermal cells of the incubated fertile eggs. Exogenous gene injected into rooster testes was neither detected in the sperm cells nor in the blastodermal cells of fertilized eggs, which were inseminated with spermatozoa obtained from the testes-injected rooster. Sperm head, tail and cell membrane separated from DNA-treated spermatozoa revealed to contain foreign DNA, suggesting a possibility of incorporation of exogenous gene into plasma membrane from treated-spermatozoa.