Germ cell

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A germ cell is a kind of cell that is part of the germline, and is involved in the reproduction of organisms. Germ cells should not be confused with pathogenic "germs," they do not cause illnesses. There are different kinds of germ cells, which include gametogonia, gametocytes, and gametes. By a narrower definition, the term germ cell can also just refer to gametes, which are produced by meiosis of the aforementioned germ cells, but this definition is less precise. Cells that are not part of the germline are called somatic cells.

[edit] See Also

• Epigenetics
• Sertoli cells
• Spermatogenesis
• Germ line development
• Meiosis

[edit] References

• Germ Cells -Spermatogenesis
• Derivation of Human Embryonic Germ Cells: An Alternative Source of Pluripotent Stem Cells
• Signaling for germ cells