Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The gamete-producing cells in a sexually reproducing organism, by means of which genetic material is passed on to subsequent generations.
  • noun The collection or sequence of such cells in an individual and all its descendants.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun those cells of an individual that have genetic material that could be passed to offspring; the source of gametes

Etymologies

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Examples

  • And it never gets passed to offspring unless it's incorporated in germline cells.

    Assessing Causality 2008

  • It became obvious to Evans that an alternative strategy had to be used if one were to obtain germline transmission derived from cultured embryonic stem cells.

    The 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Advanced Information 2007

  • This is gene transfer involving the germline, which is a concern, but we are pursuing it not for general use but for patients with mutations they will pass to the next generation.

    ProWomanProLife » Whatever you say 2009

  • This is gene transfer involving the germline, which is a concern, but we are pursuing it not for general use but for patients with mutations they will pass to the next generation.

    ProWomanProLife » 2009 » August 2009

  • They found that the so-called germline stem cells grew nearly as fast as embryonic stem cells and produced many of the specialized protein markers that are associated with embryonic stem cells.

    Latest News 2008

  • They found that the so-called germline stem cells grew nearly as fast as embryonic stem cells and produced many of the specialized protein markers that are associated with embryonic stem cells.

    Latest News 2008

  • In higher plants, each fertile flower has the equivalent of a "germline" in it.

    Nobel Lecture The Significance of Responses of the Genome to Challenge 1983

  • Variants in the ordinary, or "germline," sequence of the genome that is passed between generations were linked to risk of disease, while "somatic" mutations were found in tumor cells as these cells run amok. deCODE genetics and Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands announce a discovery that appears to bridge this divide.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • For the study, Ji Wu of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China and colleagues removed ovaries from mice and sifted through millions of cells to identify a small number that appeared to have characteristics of female "germline" stem cells, which theoretically would be able to become eggs.

    unknown title 2009

  • "germline" stem cells - cells that can pass their genetic material to future generations.

    Top Stories: BreakingNews.ie 2009

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