Primordial germ cells of the young chick blastoderm originate from the central zone of the area pellucida irrespective of the embryo-forming process.

Early chick blastoderms (stages X-XII) were divided by a circular cut into two fragments. In one experimental group, the area opaca was separated from the marginal zone and the central disc of the area pellucida, while in another group the area opaca plus marginal zone were separated from the central disc. Other blastoderms of equivalent stages were each cut into three strips of equal size (either perpendicular or parallel to the axis of symmetry). The fragments were isolated and incubated for 43-48 h after which they were PAS-stained, whole-mounted and checked for the presence of primordial germ cells (PGCs). The results showed that most of the PGCs originated from the central disc and not from the periphery of the area pellucida and that they segregated from this zone even if no embryonic axis developed in the explant. In such cases, the PGCs were found to be dispersed throughout the entire explant, usually in association with forming blood islands. When an axis did develop in the explant, the PGCs were found to be concentrated around its anterior end, in a pattern resembling the germinal crescent. No indication of a quantitative regulation of PGCs was found in the explants and the sum of PGCs, calculated for the complementary fragments of a blastoderm, matched the range of numbers in control blastoderms. Our results suggest that PGCs may already be determined as early as stage X and that their further differentiation is independent of the embryo-forming process.