Abstract.
In all animals information is passed from parent to offspring via the germline, which segregates from the soma early in development and undergoes a complex developmental program to give rise to the adult gametes. Many aspects of germline development have been conserved throughout the animal kingdom. Here we review the unique properties of germ cells, the initial determination of germ cell fates, the maintenance of germ cell identity, the migration of germ cells to the somatic gonadal primordia and the proliferation of germ cells during development in vertebrates and invertebrates. Similarities in germline development in such diverse organisms as Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, Xenopus laevis and Mus musculus will be highlighted.
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Received 11 December 1998; received after revision 25 January 1999; accepted 25 January 1999
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Saffman, E., Lasko, P. Germline development in vertebrates and invertebrates. CMLS, Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 55, 1141–1163 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s000180050363
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s000180050363