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Mechanisms for independent cytoplasmic inheritance of mitochondria and plastids in angiosperms

  • JPR Symposium
  • Cytoplasmic inheritance
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Abstract

The inheritance of mitochondria and plastids in angiosperms has been categorized into three modes: maternal, biparental and paternal. Many mechanisms have been proposed for maternal inheritance, including: (1) physical exclusion of the organelle itself during pollen mitosis I (PMI); (2) elimination of the organelle by formation of enucleated cytoplasmic bodies (ECB); (3) autophagic degradation of organelles during male gametophyte development; (4) digestion of the organelle after fertilization; and (5)—the most likely possibility—digestion of organellar DNA in generative cells just after PMI. In detailed cytological observations, the presence or absence of mitochondrial and plastid DNA in generative cells corresponds to biparental/paternal inheritance or maternal inheritance of the respective organelle examined genetically. These improved cytological observations demonstrate that the replication or digestion of organellar DNA in young generative cells just after PMI is a critical point determining the mode of cytoplasmic inheritance. This review describes the independent control mechanisms in mitochondria and plastids that lead to differences in cytoplasmic inheritance in angiosperms.

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Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Dr. Ryo Matsushima and Prof. Wataru Sakamoto (Okayama Univ.) for providing seeds of transgenic Arabidopsis; Ms. Misao Watanabe, Ms. Eriko Suzuki and Ms. Saori Tanabashi (Japan Women’s University) for technical assistance, and I am indebted to Prof. Tsuneyoshi Kuroiwa (Rikkyo University) for instruction and encouragement.

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  1. Department of Chemical Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Japan Women’s University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan

    Noriko Nagata

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Correspondence to Noriko Nagata.

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Nagata, N. Mechanisms for independent cytoplasmic inheritance of mitochondria and plastids in angiosperms. J Plant Res 123, 193–199 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-009-0293-x

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