Molding immortality from a plastic germline

Abstract

Germ cells are uniquely capable of maintaining cellular immortality, allowing them to give rise to new individuals in generation after generation. Recent studies have identified that the germline state is plastic, with frequent interconversion between germline differentiation states and across the germline/soma border. Therefore, features that grant germline immortality must be inducible, with other cells undergoing some form of rejuvenation to a germline state. In this review, we summarize the breadth of our current interpretations of germline plasticity and the ways in which these fate conversion events can aid our understanding of the underlying hallmarks of germline immortality.