Genetically altered lines
The NARF has gene editing facilities for the chicken, a variety of ubiquitous and gene-specific reporter lines.
Fertile eggs and chicks are available for research use upon request, with a requirement for a material transfer agreement for some lines to meet our restrictions relating to animal experiments or the source of the lines.
Resources for gene editing
| Genetically altered lines | Description | Facility | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
|
DDX4 KO Sterile female surrogate host |
This genetically sterile female surrogate host chicken is used for the creation of new genetically altered poultry lines. Sterile female host birds can transmit transplanted donor primordial germ cells to 100% of their offspring. |
Conventional and SPF |
Available |
|
iCaspase9 surrogate hosts
|
The iCaspase9 line can be used for the creation of new genetically altered poultry lines. In the iCaspase9 surrogate host line, both male and female germ cell lineages can be chemically ablated. Sire Dam Surrogate mating results in 100% transmission of introduced primordial germ cells in the first generation of offspring. |
Conventional and SPF |
Available |
Reporter lines
| Genetically altered lines | Description | Facility | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
|
ACTN (actin and nuclear markers)
|
Reporter line. Life-actin-Venus, Histone H2B-cherry. Ubiquitous expression of life-actin-VenusFP and nuclear-cherryFP | Conventional | Available |
|
Roslin Green (Cytoplasmic GFP) |
Reporter line. Cells from GFP chickens ubiquitously express cytoplasmic eGFP, allowing descendants to be traced after grafting or in cell culture.
|
Conventional | Available |
|
Membrane GFP |
Reporter line. Membrane-localised eGFP. Useful for identifying individual cell boundaries when imaging.
|
Conventional | Available |
|
Flamingo (TdTomato)
|
Reporter line. Cells from this line ubiquitously express cytoplasmic tdTomato, allowing descendants to be traced after grafting or in cell culture. |
Conventional | Available |
|
Chameleon (Cytbow) |
Reporter line. Cre-inducible mini-Brainbow. Ubiquitous expression of nuclear-blueFP, replaced after CRE-mediated recombination by expression of eYFP or tdTomato or mCerulean.
|
Conventional |
Available Limited supply |
|
CSF1R reporter lines
|
Macrophage reporter lines – CSF1R-eGFP (MacGreen) and CSF1R-mApple (MacRed). Demonstrated utility for investigation of immune response in chickens. Used to visualise cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS; monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells).
|
Conventional |
Available Limited supply of CSF1R-mApple |
|
RUNX1-eGFP |
The RUNX1-eGFP line can be used to visualise granulocytes (Basophils, Eosinophils and Heterophils) and monocytes. The RUNX1-eGFP line may have limited utility to enable the visualisation of chicken haematopoietic cells and haematopoietic cell progenitor populations.
|
Conventional | Available |
|
Split GFP |
In the Split GFP line the large subunit of GFP (GFP1-10) only fluoresces when the complementary small subunit of GFP-11 is delivered to a cell. This line is useful to study the processes of infection and for understanding the development and function of neuromuscular junctions in birds.
|
Conventional | Available |
Cryopreserved Lines
| Genetically altered lines | Description | Availability |
|
Lox-STOP-lox
|
Reporter line. Inducible expression of eGFP by CRE-mediated recombination, either by CRE protein application or injection of a CRE-expressing plasmid. This allows cells or specific cell populations to be marked and tracked during embryonic development. |
Only available as cryopreserved materials |
|
Notch reporter |
Reporter line used for real-time visualisation of Notch signalling. |
Only available as cryopreserved materials |
|
talpid3 |
Talpid mutants are classical recessive embryonic lethal chicken mutants with abnormal limb patterning and malformations. |
Only available as cryopreserved materials |
Please let us know if you want further information on any of these lines or are interested in a collaboration based on our expertise
Help us to better understand how you are using eggs, chickens, and our facilities. We welcome feedback from collaborators and new users and use it to guide our research and development of new chicken lines.