Reproductive stem cells support bird conservation

Researchers have taken a key step towards growing the reproductive cells of endangered bird species in the lab.

Scientists have adapted a method developed for growing reproductive cells from chickens, to enable the growth of the same types of cells from geese.

Their work in transferring the method to a new species demonstrates that their approach for culturing early stage reproductive cells – known as primordial germ cells (PGCs) – can be modified to support cell growth across multiple bird species. 

This could play a role in conservation or preservation of the many hundreds of endangered avian species.

Researchers from the Roslin Institute, with colleagues in Hungary and China, modified a nutrient-rich growth medium previously developed to nurture PGCs recovered from chickens, to support the development of geese PGCs.

The goose reproductive cells grown in the medium were transferred and were able to develop in chicken embryos, whose own reproductive cells had been removed. 

The outcome indicates that the embryonic birds, once hatched, could become surrogate parents to geese offspring derived from cultured cells.

Further modifications to cell growth mediums – such as their protein and vitamin content – could be developed to support the maintenance of reproductive cells from other avian species, the team suggests.

The study was published in Communications Biology.

 ** The Roslin Institute receives strategic investment funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and it is part of the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. **