selective increase or decrease of organellar DNA in generative cells just after pollen mitosis one controls cytoplasmic inheritance

• Published in: Planta Vol. 209; no. 1; pp. 53 - 65
• Main Authors: Nagata, N, Saito, C, Sakai, A, Kuroiwa, H, Kuroiwa, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer-Verlag 01.07.1999; Springer
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Biology and morphogenesis of the reproductive apparatus. Photoperiodism, vernalisation; chemical constituents of plants; Cytoplasm; Cytoplasmic inheritance; DNA; DNA, Mitochondrial; DNA, Plant; Economic plant physiology; Extrachromosomal Inheritance; Flowering, floral biology, reproduction patterns; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth and development; Magnoliophyta; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial DNA; Mitochondrial genes; Mitosis; Organelles; Organelles - genetics; Plant cells; Plant physiology and development; Plants - classification; Plants - genetics; Plastids; Pollen; Pollen - genetics; Pollen - growth & development; sexual reproduction; Somatic cells; species differences; Vegetative and sexual reproduction, floral biology, fructification; Cell organelle; Mitosis; DNA; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Pollen; Developmental stage; Genetic determinism; Cytoplasmic inheritance; Fluorescence microscopy
• ISSN: 0032-0935; 1432-2048
• DOI: 10.1007/s004250050606

Organella DNA in mature pollen grains of eight angiosperm species (Actinidia deliciosa Lindl., Antirrhinum majus L., Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., Medicago sativa L., Musa acuminata Colla, Pelargonium zonale (L.) L'Her, Petunia hybrida Vilm. and Rhododendron mucronatum (Blume) G. Don, in which the modes of organella inheritance have been determined genetically, was observed by fluorescence microscopy using Technovit 7100 resin sections double-stained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and 3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide (DiOC(6)). The eight species were classified into four types, based on the presence or absence of organella DNA in mature generative cells: namely (1) type "m+p+", which has both mitochondrial and plastid DNA (P. zonale), (2) type "m+p-", which only has mitochondrial DNA (M. acuminata), (3) type "m-p +", which only has plastid DNA (A. deliciosa, M. sativa, R. mucronatum), and (4) type "m-p-", which has neither mitochondrial nor plastid DNA (A. majus, A. thaliana, P. hybrida). This classification corresponded to the mode of organella inheritance determined by genetic analysis. The presence or absence of mitochondrial and plastid DNA corresponded to paternal/biparental inheritance or maternal inheritance of the respective organelle, respectively. When organella DNA was present in mature generative cells (m+ or p+), the DNA content of the organelles in the generative cells started to increase immediately after pollen mitosis one (PMI). In contrast, the DNA content of organelles in generative cells decreased rapidly after PMI when organellar DNA was absent from mature generative cells (m- or p-). These results indicate that the modes of inheritance (paternal/biparental inheritance or maternal inheritance) of mitochondria and plastids are determined independently of each other in young generative cells just after PMI.