Expression data from cultured chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs)

The growth factors and signaling pathways that are essential for the inducing proliferation of chicken PGCs is unclear. We investigated the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the survival and proliferation of PGCs under feeder-free conditions. We used microarrays to examine the genes regulated by bFGF treatment in chicken PGCs. Cultured PGCs were collected before and after withdrawal of bFGF for 24 h, and 24 h after bFGF replacement. The RNA was extracted and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays. Three replicates each.