Germline
The cell lineage that produces reproductive cells (eggs and sperm). Only genetic changes in germline cells can be inherited by offspring; changes in somatic (body) cells die with the individual.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 2 chapters:
"...sms like animals, but common in single-celled life. Why? Because complex organisms have elaborate mechanisms to prevent foreign DNA from entering the germline - the cells that produce offspring. Bacteria lack that barrier. Any DNA that enters can potentially be inherited. The strategic insight: some capabi..."
"More time allows mutations to accumulate. And somatic mutations don't contribute to the next generation in multicellular organisms with germline-soma separation (the distinction between reproductive cells and body cells). Exceptions exist. Mutable microsatellite regions (short tandem repeats ..."
Biological Context
The germline/somatic distinction is fundamental to heredity. Germline cells are protected and isolated early in development. Mutations in germline cells pass to offspring; mutations in somatic cells affect only that individual. This separation enables evolution while protecting genetic integrity.
Business Application
Organizations have 'germline' elements—founding documents, core values, equity structures—that persist across leadership changes. Changes to these propagate to future organizational 'generations'; operational changes do not.