germline

plural germlines

1. Those cells of an individual that have genetic material that could be passed to offspring; the source of gametes.

   Germline gene therapy is a controversial, complex topic; only through many open discussions of this topic by a broad spectrum of our society will we gain the wisdom needed for proper evaluation of the factors that must be considered before we complete initiation of these protocols.

   2000, Gregory Stock, John Campbell, Engineering the Human Germline, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 31