germ cell

noun

|Updated on: 4 May 2018

Definition of germ cell

: a gamete (such as an egg or sperm cell) or one of its antecedent cells

Recent Examples of germ cell from the Web

These germ cells then divide to form stem cells that can produce more of themselves, and more of the cells that, through a series of divisions, make sperm.

— rachel becker, The Verge, "Transplanted testicles will always make the donor’s sperm," 26 Apr. 2018
In December 2017, Surani announced a crucial milestone concerning the eight-week cycle, after which germ cells begin the process of transforming into gametes.

— jason pontin, WIRED, "Science Is Getting Us Closer to the End of Infertility," 27 Mar. 2018
But baby mice do not a human make, and Saitou and another scientist, Azim Surani, are each working directly with human cells, trying to understand the differences between how mice and human iPSCs become primordial germ cells.

— jason pontin, WIRED, "Science Is Getting Us Closer to the End of Infertility," 27 Mar. 2018
In Drosophila melanogaster, the standard lab fruit fly, this problem is partly managed by the fact that Apollo shows much higher activity in the male germ cells than the female equivalents.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "A battle between the sexes in a single gene," 23 Feb. 2018
In this case, PNLDC1 is interesting because it primarily is expressed in germ cells, but not in normal tissue like the brains or heart or liver.

— kristen jordan shamus, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State researchers are on the cusp of developing a birth control for men," 11 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'germ cell.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.