Restoration of Spermatogenesis and Male Fertility by Transplantation of Dispersed Testicular Cells in the Chicken1

Transplantation of male germ cells into sterilized recipients has been widely used in mammals for conventional breeding and transgenesis purposes. This study presents a workable approach for germ cell transplantation between male chickens. Testicular cells from adult and prepubertal donors were dispersed and transplanted by injection directly into the testes of recipient males sterilized by repeated gamma irradiation. We describe the repopulation of the recipient seminiferous epithelium up to the production of heterologous sperm in about 50% of transplanted males. In comparison to males transplanted with testicular cell preparations from adult donors, in which the first ejaculates with sperm were recovered about 5 wk after transfer, a substantial interval (about 10 wk) was necessary to obtain ejaculates after the transfer of testicular cells from prepubertal donors. However, in both cases, recipient males produced ejaculates capable of fertilizing ova and producing progeny expressing donor genes.