Editing Mutation (section)

==== Germline mutation ====
{{Further|Germline mutation}}
A germline mutation in the reproductive cells of an individual gives rise to a ''constitutional mutation'' in the offspring, that is, a mutation that is present in every cell. A constitutional mutation can also occur very soon after [[fertilization]], or continue from a previous constitutional mutation in a parent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daisyfund.org/rb/about/genetics.html|title=''RB1'' Genetics|website=Daisy's Eye Cancer Fund|location=Oxford, UK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126004753/http://www.daisyfund.org/rb/about/genetics.html|archive-date=26 November 2011|access-date=9 October 2015}}</ref> A germline mutation can be passed down through subsequent generations of organisms.

The distinction between germline and somatic mutations is important in animals that have a dedicated germline to produce reproductive cells. However, it is of little value in understanding the effects of mutations in plants, which lack a dedicated germline. The distinction is also blurred in those animals that [[asexual reproduction|reproduce asexually]] through mechanisms such as [[budding]], because the cells that give rise to the daughter organisms also give rise to that organism's germline.

A new germline mutation not inherited from either parent is called a '''''[[wikt:de novo|de novo]]'' mutation'''.