Germ Plasm and Germ-line Cell Determination: The Role of Mitochondria

Literature data on the structure and origin of material of the germ cell line determinants and on the presence of products of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes in the structured germ determinants (nuage) are reviewed. The personal data, obtained on spermatogenic cells of sea urchin and of other marine invertebrates, evidence the transformation of the mitochondrial matrix into the nuage material. The presence of matrix structures of mitochondrial origin in the germ plasm, which ensure reproduction and the function of the structured macromolecular complex of germ determinants relatively independent from the nuclear genome, is suggested.