AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Somatic mutations can occur in any of the cells of the body except the germ cells (sperm and egg) and therefore are not passed on to children. These alterations can (but do not always) cause cancer or other diseases.

Detailed explanation-2: -Mutations in somatic cells are called somatic mutations. Because they do not occur in cells that give rise to gametes, the mutation is not passed along to the next generation by sexual means.

Detailed explanation-3: -Gene variants, including mutations, can be either inherited or acquired. An inherited gene mutation, as the name implies, is inherited from a parent, so it’s present in the very first cell (once the egg cell is fertilized by a sperm cell) that eventually becomes a person.

Detailed explanation-4: -A gene change in a reproductive cell (egg or sperm) that becomes incorporated into the DNA of every cell in the body of the offspring. A variant (or mutation) contained within the germline can be passed from parent to offspring, and is, therefore, hereditary. Also called germline variant.

Detailed explanation-5: -You can inherit germline genetic mutations. In this type of mutation, the DNA change happens in reproductive cells (egg or sperm). The sperm and egg pass from parents to their children, so the mutation is inherited. You can’t inherit somatic mutations because they occur randomly in cells that aren’t the sperm or egg.