Abstract
The early ontogenetic segregation of germ line and somatic cells in the animal kingdom is phylogenetically very old and represents probably the first step in differentiation. While this phenomenon has been shown to occur in various animal phyla, it seems to be completely msssing in the plant kingdom. In several animal species, the segregation of the germ and somatic cell lines is accompanied by the loss of whole or parts of chromosomes in the presumptive somatic cells. The cause of the chromatin diminution process as well as the significance of the germ line limited DNA sequences in species undergoing chromatin or chromosome loss still remain unknown. However, using modern biochemical and molecular biological techniques, it has become possible to analyze the process of chromatin diminution and the composition of the germ line specific DNA sequences at the molecular level.
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