The germline of a mature or developing individual are those cells that have genetic material that may be passed to a child.
For example, sex cells, such as the sperm or the egg, are part of the germline.
But not just the sex cells; Because the sex cells got their genetic material from still other cells. The cells that produced sperm cells, and the cells that produced ovum, (called gametocytes,) are also part of the germline. And the cells that produced those cells are part of the germline- all the way back up to the zygote, the first cell that the individual came from.
But a cell in, say, your liver, is not part of your germline. No cell in your liver will ever make it to your children. Cells that are not part of the germline are called somatic cells.
If there is a mutation or other genetic change in the germline, then the change can be passed to offspring. But if a change happens in a non-germline cell, the change can't be passed to offspring.
"Germline" can also be used to refer to a lineage of cells spanning many generations of individuals; for example, the germline that links any living individual to the hypothesized first eukaryote of about one billion years ago, from which all plants and animals descend.
In biology and genetics, the germline of a mature or developing individual is the line (sequence) of germ cells that have genetic material that may be passed to a child.
And the cells that produced those cells, the gametogonia, are part of the germline- all the way back up to the zygote, the first cell that the individual came from.
"Germline" can also be used to refer to a lineage of cells spanning many generations of individuals; for example, the germline that links any living individual to the hypothesized first eukaryote of about one billion years ago, from which all plants and animals descend.
In germline gene transfer, the parents' egg and sperm cells are changed with the goal of passing on the changes to their offspring.
Germline gene transfer is not being actively investigated, at least in larger animals and humans, although a great deal of discussion is being conducted about its value and desirability.
Although the researchers announced this as the "first case of human germline genetic modification," the gene transfer was an inadvertent side effect of the infertility procedure.
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