Cellular Dynamics after Injection of Mesoderm-Derived Human Embryonic Kidney 293 Cells and Fibroblasts into Developing Chick Embryos

This study was conducted to compare localization of transformed or differentiated cells after injection into developing chick embryos. Mesoderm-derived chicken embryonic fibroblasts (CEFs), retrieved from normal tissues and artificially transformed human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells, were injected into the dorsal aorta of stage 17 embryos, incubated for 60 h, and post-injection survival and tissue localization after injection were monitored. Overall survival rates were 43% to 57%, and there was no significant difference between the two cell types (P=0.4453). Migration into various tissues was observed after injection of the HEK 293 cells, and this was greatly reduced after CEF transfer (P<0.0127). Tumorigenic activity was detected in the HEK 293 transferred cells and the major organ colonized was the highly vascularized yolk sac. From these results, we suggest that cell transformation alters post-injected migration activity of cells at organogenesis.