Question

Which of the following is ‘immortal’?
A. Somatic Cell
B. Glomerular Cell
C. Germ Cell
D. Cell of Pituitary

Answer 1

Hint: The word immortal actually means the one who will never die or decay. Biological immortality is a state in which the rate of mortality is stable or decreasing, thus decoupling it. The term is also used by biologists to describe cells that are not subject to the Hayflick limit on how many times they can divide.

Complete answer:
There are few cells like Hela are termed as immortal in which they can divide into unlimited numbers of times in laboratory cells i.e. being maintained and sustained in a suitable environment.
(1) Somatic Cell: A Somatic cell is a cell of body parts except sperm and egg cells. They contain two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. Somatic cell is the cell that forms the body of the organism.
(2) Glomerular Cell: Glomerular cell is the epithelial cell. This is the filtering unit of the kidney. Glomerular Cell is a small blood vessel. For it to function as an integrated filtration unit.
(3) Germ cell: Germ cells are cells that create reproductive cells called gametes. Germ cells are located only in gonads and are called oogonia in females and spermatogonia in males.
Germs cells give rise to gametes and it acquires the properties similar to that of stem cell i.e. they are undifferentiated cells and hence are immortal.
(4) Cell of Pituitary: Pituitary cell is a part of the endocrine system in the brain also it’s cells do not divide.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C)

Note: Egg and sperm cells are called germ cells. In addition to their complex differentiation into eggs and sperm germ cells retain their property which is required for gametes to differentiate into new individuals.