= Germline
The lineage that gives rise to reproductive <cells> transmitting genetic information between generations, distinguished from somatic body-cell lineages.
In <animals> with an early segregated germ line, only selected cellular descendants normally contribute to gametes. In other <organisms>, reproductive lineages can be specified later. A <mutation>’s presence in a body <cell> therefore does not alone establish transmission to offspring. <Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others>[Chapter 20, Germ Cells and Fertilization]{ref}
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