Germ plasm of Xenopus is the determinant of germinal lineage

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Germ plasm is the determinant of germinal lineage in case of Drosophila and C. elgans. In this work, we have evidenced that this is true also in case of vertebrate. Germ plasm of Xenopus is situated in the cortex of egg vegetal cytoplasm, and contains maternal mRNA, protein and a large amount of mitochondria. We have made a transgenic frog whose mitochondria is EGFP-labelled. On the behalf of unique characteristcs of germline mitochondria, we can trace GP and PGCs in most of a life cycle. When we explant GP into the animal hemisphere (fated to become epidermis), we obtain ectopic PGCs. The ectopic PGCs cannot migrate from the surface position, but they can migrate towards gonads if they are transferred into the endoderm. And, they can become functional gametes.