∞ generated and posted on 2016.08.29 ∞
Those cells in a multicellular organism that undergo meiotic division.
In humans, as well as animals in general, meiosis leads directly to the formation of gametes, with no mitotic division occurring between meiosis and subsequent fertilization. In other organisms, however, meiosis results in the formation of spores, which are haploid cells that undergo mitotic division.
Germline cells contrast with somatic cells, or soma, which do not directly participate in sexual processes but instead function primarily as support for the germline and offspring.