Somatic and Germline Cells

Identifying the differences between somatic cells and germline cells can be complicated but crucial for proper bodily functions. Somatic cells are found in body cells and cannot be passed to offspring. Internal organs, skins, bones, blood, and tissues are all made up of somatic cells. Most importantly, these cells are crucial for replacing old cells in the body and creating new cells through cell growth and development. Somatic cells also function to repair damage of cells that are neither dead or old but contain have a mutation affecting its performance for that specific cell. The cells complete the process of mitosis through DNA replication and cytokinesis to produce two new identical cells. On the other hand, germline cells occur in gametes, both egg and sperm, and can be inherited by offspring because they contain genetic material. An important aspect of these cells is the level of differentiation they obtain as they cannot be any other cell in the body other than a gamete. Lastly, they reproduce through the process meiosis in order to produce viable egg and sperm to pass genetic material to progeny.