What is the Role of Germline and Somatic Variants?
Genetic variants can be classified into germline and somatic categories. Germline variants are inherited and present in every cell of the body. They can increase an individual's predisposition to cancer, as seen with inherited mutations in the Lynch syndrome genes. Somatic variants, on the other hand, are acquired mutations that occur in individual cells during a person's lifetime and are not inherited. These mutations can accumulate due to environmental factors, such as exposure to carcinogens, or through errors in DNA replication.
