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Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Visualization of Germinosomes and the Inner Membrane in Bacillus subtilis Spores
Published on: April 15, 2019
Germ granules in development
Laura Thomas1, Andrea Putnam1, Andrew Folkmann1
1HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Abstract:
A hallmark of all germ cells is the presence of germ granules: assemblies of proteins and RNA that lack a delineating membrane and are proposed to form via condensation. Germ granules across organisms share several conserved components, including factors required for germ cell fate determination and maintenance, and are thought to be linked to germ cell development. The molecular functions of germ granules, however, remain incompletely understood. In this Development at a Glance article, we survey germ granules across organisms and developmental stages, and highlight emerging themes regarding granule regulation, dynamics and proposed functions.
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