= Germ cell
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. <Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others>[Chapter 20, Germ Cells and Fertilization]{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. <Bmp4 is required for the generation of primordial germ cells in the mouse embryo by Kirstie A. Lawson and others>[1999, abstract and discussion: Bmp4-null embryos and chimaera analysis]{ref}
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