The chick embryo: hatching a model for contemporary biomedical research

Abstract

Animal models play a crucial role in fundamental and medical research. Progress in the fields of drug discovery, regenerative medicine and cancer research among others are heavily dependent on in vivo models to validate in vitro observations, and develop new therapeutic approaches. However, conventional rodent and large animal experiments face ethical, practical and technical issues that limit their usage. The chick embryo represents an accessible and economical in vivo model, which has long been used in developmental biology, gene expression analysis and loss/gain of function experiments. It is also an established model for tissue/cell transplantation, and because of its lack of immune system in early development, the chick embryo is increasingly recognised as a model of choice for mammalian biology with new applications for stem cell and cancer research. Here, we review novel applications of the chick embryo model, and discuss future developments of this in vivo model for biomedical research.

Resistance or sensitivity of Wilms’ tumor to anti-FZD7 antibody highlights the Wnt pathway as a possible therapeutic target

“…Anti-FZD7 Ab reduces proliferation/survival of FZD7-sensitive WT cells grafted to the chick embryo Grafting of mammalian cancer cells to the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of the fertile chick egg is a well-established xenograft system (Taizi et al, 2006;Rashidi and Sottile, 2009) (Supplementary Figure S3A). We performed an experiment to determine whether this system could be used to distinguish the effects of the FZD7 Ab on growth and proliferation of FZD7-sensitive WT cells in vivo (Deryugina and Quigley, 2008;Rashidi and Sottile, 2009 Figure S3B).…”

“…We performed an experiment to determine whether this system could be used to distinguish the effects of the FZD7 Ab on growth and proliferation of FZD7-sensitive WT cells in vivo (Deryugina and Quigley, 2008;Rashidi and Sottile, 2009 Figure S3B). After determining feasibility, we grafted smaller numbers of WT cells (1 Â 10 6 cells per egg) vitally labeled with CFSE that were incubated with FZD7 Ab or with buffer (untreated controls) (Figure 4Aa and b).…”

Efficient Gene Transfer into Chicken Gonads by Combining Transposons with Polyethylenimine

“…The chick embryo, as a model system, has many applications in developmental biology research (Rashidi & Sottile, 2009;Vergara & Canto-Soler, 2012) and as a bioreactor for pharmaceutical proteins (Lillico et al, 2005). This model becomes increasingly popular because of peculiar advantages, such as a short incubation period, the accessibility of embryos, and the availability of experimental embryology (Stern, 2005).…”

A new take on an old story: chick limb organ culture for skeletal niche development and regenerative medicine evaluation

“…Micromanipulation and microinjection techniques have been utilised in a number of chick in ovo and in vitro models, primarily to examine and delineate mechanisms of embryonic development (Rashidi and Sottile, 2009). In ovo microinjection techniques were used as early as 1981 to assess the formation of embryonic chick mesonephric nephrons (Friebova-Zemanova, 1981) and, more recently, to assess formation of the precisely patterned axonal connections that are required for proper movement of the vertebrate eye (Lance-Jones et al, 2012).…”

“…These studies in the chick embryo suggest an archaic model, not for the modern high throughput molecular screening techniques of today. However the avian embryo is well characterised with a fully sequenced genome (Hamburger and Hamilton, 1992;Hillier et al, 2004), is highly cost-effective, and experimentally accessible for manipulation in ovo (Rashidi and Sottile, 2009). Importantly, the ex vivo chick system provides a model without an immune system in early development EL Smith et al Chick limb organ culture in the 21 st century making it attractive for tissue/cell xenotransplantation (Boulland et al, 2010;Goldstein, 2006;Wichterle et al, 2008).…”