Abstract
In order to trace the donor blastodermal cell movement in the recipient embryos, stage X blastodermal cells derived from the central disc (CD), marginal zone (MZ) and area opaca (AO) were transfected in vitro by lipofection using green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene as a marker and transferred them into recipient blastoderms. Expression of the GFP gene in the whole blastoderm was observed in all the embryos manipulated at day 1 of incubation. After that, the GFP gene expression decreased with the incubation period and at day 3 of incubation the GFP gene expression was detected only in the extra-embryonic membranes. The frequency of the GFP gene expression at day 3 of incubation was lower when the donor blastodermal cells were derived from the CD compared with the MZ or AO, probably due to the active cell proliferation in the recipient embryos. The GFP gene is very useful as a marker to trace cell movement for short-term, but stable incorporation into the donor cell chromosomes is necessary for long-term tracing.
