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Long-term Cultured Rock Dove Germ-cell Precursors Still Reached Developing Gonads

Wild rock dove among sea pink flowers at Duncansby Head in Scotland
Research · Molecular biology & biochemistry

Researchers have established the first successful long-term culture of primordial germ cells from rock dove (Columba livia). Primordial germ cells are embryonic precursors of sperm and egg cells: early in development they migrate to the forming gonads, where they later give rise to the germline that passes genetic material to the next generation. This makes them useful for reproductive research, genome engineering and preservation of avian genetic material.

Long-term culture systems have existed for chicken primordial germ cells for nearly two decades, but cells from many other bird species have been much harder to maintain. The researchers therefore profiled gene activity in rock dove gonadal cells to identify growth and survival signals the germ cells were equipped to receive, then tested candidate factors experimentally in culture.

Survival and proliferation depended on a balance of growth and differentiation signals

Some insulin/IGF (insulin-like growth factor) signalling was required for long-term survival and expansion. Completely removing insulin preserved germ-cell identity for a time, but the cultures could not be maintained beyond about two weeks. Lowering insulin while retaining IGF supported better expansion, showing that the pathway had to remain active without overwhelming the cells.

Retinoic-acid signalling provided a different kind of control. Retinoic acid normally helps push germ cells towards differentiation rather than continued proliferation. Removing vitamin A, the precursor of retinoic acid, did not support long-term growth; instead, the best propagation occurred when vitamin A remained present while the retinoic-acid receptor was inhibited. This allowed the cells to keep expanding while retaining germline identity.

Several other signalling molecules improved proliferation. BMP4 and EGF promoted cell growth, while leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and pleiotrophin provided additional growth-supporting signals. Together these experiments allowed the researchers to build a species-specific culture medium rather than simply applying the chicken formulation unchanged.

Long-term cultured cells still found their way to developing gonads

The cultured cells continued to express characteristic germline markers including DAZL, DDX4 and PRDM14. These genes are associated with germ-cell identity and development, so their continued expression showed that the expanding cells had not simply become a generic laboratory cell population.

The more important test was functional. Researchers injected cultured rock dove primordial germ cells into both rock dove and chicken embryos. The cells migrated to the developing gonads in both hosts, demonstrating that they retained the natural migratory competence expected of primordial germ cells after long-term culture.

The resulting culture system creates a way to preserve and manipulate a Columbidae germline outside the living bird. The authors present it as a platform for germline engineering and genetic biobanking and as a step towards extending avian reproductive technologies beyond the chicken models on which most previous work has depended.

Sources and image credit

  1. Nicholson, M. W., Moreira, L., Boyle, E. A., McCabe, E., Soriano, A., McSwain, M., Feist, W. N., Nguyen, S. K., Steiger, K., Alexandre, N., Hoyt, S. J., Tillquist, N. M., O'Neill, R. J., Ichikawa, K., McGrew, M. J., Fedrigo, O., & Keyte, A. (2026). Long-term rock dove (Columba livia) primordial germ cell culture: A tool towards avian conservation. Journal of Heredity, 117(5), 1130–1143. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esag045Primary peer-reviewed open-access study first published online 27 May 2026. The study established the first successful long-term culture of rock dove primordial germ cells. Insulin signalling was required for survival under the tested conditions; retinoic-acid-receptor inhibition in the presence of vitamin A supported propagation; several additional factors enhanced proliferation. Cultured cells retained germline markers and migrated to the gonads after injection into rock dove and chicken embryos.

Image: dipper12 / Wikimedia Commons / iNaturalist — wild Rock Dove photographed at Duncansby Head, Caithness, Scotland, 19 May 2025; representative species image, not a bird or embryo from the laboratory study · CC BY 4.0 · Source

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