Teratological Changes in the Offspring of Chicken Embryos Treated with Tyrode or with Tyrode plus DNA

Abstract

Benoit, Leroy, C. Vendrely, & R. Vendrely (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960) have injected testicular DNA of Khaki-Campbell adult males into 1-week-old White Peking ducklings, in the hope of producing lasting changes in the genotype of the recipient birds. The results these authors have obtained are too well known to need comment. With the same object in mind, but using a somewhat different approach, we have injected testicular DNA of adult Rhode Island Red birds into the blood-stream of White Leghorn embryos, the DNA solvent, Tyrode solution, serving as a control. Some of the results obtained have been quite unexpected, and after consultation with two experts in the field of teratogenesis, Professors E. Wolff and A. Giroud, we have decided to publish them. Highly polymerized DNA from the testes of Rhode Island Red adult birds dissolved in Tyrode was injected intravenously into 4-, 8- and 12-day-old White Leghorn embryos. (For the formula of the Tyrode, see Strangeways, 1924.)