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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Semin Cancer Biol. 2021 Apr 30;81:193–205. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.04.018

Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Germline cycle and tumorigenicity in mammals. The segregation and fate decision of germ cells from somatic cells are some of earliest fundamental events in development. The somatic lineages generally maintain the physiological integrity of the organism while germ cells contribute to an enduring link between generations through the creation of offspring by fertilization. Pre-implantation embryo from fertilization or parthenogenesis including two-eight cell stage, morulae and blastocysts, could develop teratomas/teratocarcinomas after grafted to other extra-uterine sites. ES cells, PGCs and EGCs also have the potential to develop teratomas/teratocarcinomas.