A somatic cell is generally taken to mean any cell forming the body of an organism: the word "somatic" is derived from the
Greek word sōma (σώμα), meaning "body". Somatic cells, by definition, are not
germline cells. In
mammals,
germline cells are the
spermatozoa and
ova (also known as "
gametes") which fuse during
fertilization to produce a cell called a
zygote, from which the entire mammalian
embryo develops. Every other cell type in the mammalian body—apart from the sperm and ova, the cells from which they are made (
gametocytes) and undifferentiated
stem cells—is a somatic cell: internal organs, skin, bones, blood, and connective tissue are all made up of somatic cells.
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