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A germ cell is any cell that gives rise to the gametes of an organism that reproduces sexually. In many animals, the germ cells originate in the primitive streak and migrate via the gut of an embryo to the developing gonads. There, they undergo meiosis, followed by cellular differentiation into mature gametes, either eggs or sperm. Unlike animals, plants do not have germ cells designated in early development. Instead, germ cells can arise from somatic cells in the adult, such as the floral meristem of flowering plants.[1][2][3]
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- ^ Twyman RM (2001). Developmental biology. Oxford, Bios Scientific Publishers, 451p.
- ^ Cinalli RM, Rangan P, Lehmann R (February 2008). "Germ cells are forever". Cell. 132 (4): 559–562. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.02.003. PMID 18295574. S2CID 15768958.