Autoplastic Transplatation of Guinea-Pig Skin between Regions with Different Characters

Abstract

52 successful autoplastic transplantations of 40-50 day guinea pigs were made to test persistence or modification of pigmentation, length and direction of hair growth. The genetic factors concerned were hair color pattern and intensity of hair color. Hair pigmentation was not modified in white-pigmented or red-black reciprocal interchanges; skin color also did not change. Original hair length persisted 6 mos. after transplantation. In only 2 out of 18 grafts reversed 180[degree] was there definite regulation in direction of hair growth. Persistence of the characters of these grafts indicates that the differences in these characters are determined entirely by permanent cell differentiation, chromosomal or otherwise.