THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE REGULATION OF A DISTINGUISHABLE PORCINE BLASTOMERE, CAUSING IT TO DIFFERENTIATE INTO THE INNER CELL MASS, HENCE THE OFFSPRING,WILL BE INVESTIGATED.

THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE REGULATION OF A DISTINGUISHABLE PORCINE BLASTOMERE, CAUSING IT TO DIFFERENTIATE INTO THE INNER CELL MASS, HENCE THE OFFSPRING,WILL BE INVESTIGATED. PORCINE BLASTOMERES WILL BE OBTAINED BY MICRODISSECTION OF AN 8-CELL EMBRYO RECOVERED FROM A PURERED BREED AND THEN INTERMINGLED WITH BLASTOMERES OF A 4-CELLEMBRYO RECOVERED FROM A PURE WHITE BREED. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RESULTING CHIMAERIC EMBRYOS WILL BE MONITORED AT TERM(1) AFTER IN UTERO TRANSPLANTATION, AND (2) AFTER IN UTERO TRANSPLANTATION FOLLOWING A TEMPORARY CULTURE PERIOD IN THE OVIDUCT OF A PORCINE RECIPIENT. FIFTY PERCENT OF THE EMBRYOS CULTURED IN OVIDUCTS WILL BE PROTECTED WITH A 1.0 PERCENT AGAR COATING. RED PIGLETS BORN ARE ASSUMED TO BE TWINS ORIGINATING FROM THE 8-CELL EMBRYOS. PIGLETS BORN WHITE OR SANDY COLORED WILL BE RECORDED AS EITHER A PURE WHITE OR A CHIMAERIC PIGLET. ONE-EIGHTH PORCINE BLASTOMERESARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SIMILAR TO ONE-EIGHTH BLASTOMERES OFOTHER SPECIES. SOLVING THE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS OF DEVELOP- MENT IN VIVO OF ONE-EIGHTH PORCINE BLASTOMERES AND THEIR REGULATION, RESULTING IN DISTINGUISHABLE OFFSPRING, WILL INCREASE THE PRACTICAL USE OF EMBRYO TRANSFER IN THE COMMERCIAL SWINE INDUSTRY.