Culturing Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii) Pouch Young Gonads

INTRODUCTION

Tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) pouch young (PY) gonads are ideal for studies on gonadal differentiation and germ cell proliferation because, in contrast to the mouse, both of these events occur postnatally in the tammar. In the male, testicular cords start developing at day 2 postpartum (pp), whereas in the female the ovarian cortex and medulla differentiate from ~day 8 pp. In females, meiosis starts from day 25 pp and is complete in most germ cells by day 50 pp. The gonads can be cultured either in grooves within agar or flat on a membrane. The former arrangement maintains the close contact of the gonad and mesonephros better than culturing them flat on a membrane. This protocol provides methods for isolation and culturing of PY gonads.