A germ cell belongs to the cell lineage that produces gametes and transmits a genome to the next generation. The term includes immature precursors, so a germ cell need not already be a sperm or an ovum, or already be haploid. In a mammal, proliferating precursors precede meiosis and subsequent gamete differentiation. The distinction from a somatic cell concerns developmental fate and ancestry, not simply where a cell is located. [ref]
Germ cell specification can depend on signals from neighbouring tissues. In a mouse experiment, embryos lacking functional BMP4 lacked primordial germ cells; the study used mutants and chimaeras to identify an essential contribution from extraembryonic tissue. This makes the inherited lineage an outcome of developmental signalling, rather than a compartment that must always be isolated at the first cleavage. [ref]

Ancestors (3)

  1. Biological cell
  2. Biology
  3. Home

Incoming links (6)

View article source

Discussion (0) New discussion

There are no discussions about this article yet.

Articles by others on the same topic (0)

There are currently no matching articles.
See all articles in the same topic Create my own version