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Germline

The germline is usually referred to as the line of germ cells that possess genetic material that could be passed on to child. For instance, the sex cells (the sperm cell and the egg cell) are actually part of the germline.

But the germline is not only confined to the sex cells. If you think about it, sex cells that were mentioned previously received their genetic materials from other sources as well. For example, the cells that produce the sperm cells and the cells that produce the ovum, commonly called the gametocytes, are also a part of the germline. In fact the germline, goes way back to zygote, which is the first cell in which a human being comes from.

For this reason, a cell, let us say, in your liver is not part of the germline. This is because not a single cell in the liver will be able to make it to the offspring. The cells that are not part of the germline are referred to as somatic cells. Another characteristic of germline cells is that if a mutation or a genetic change happens in the germline then those changes will be passed on to the offspring. Non germline cells will not be able to pass on any mutation to the offspring.

Web Resources On Germline

Human Germline Engineering
National Genome Research Institute

Book Resources On Germline

Engineering the Human Germline: An Exploration of the Science and Ethics of Altering the Genes We Pass to Our Children by Gregory Stock (Editor), John Campbell (Editor)
Human Germline Gene Therapy: Scientific, Moral and Political Issues by David B. Resnik et. al.

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