Gregor Mendel , an Augustinian monk in the 19th hundred , already knew that the mother and Father of the Church each inherit half of their genetic material . However , this only apply to the genome in the cell nucleus . Organelles , such as mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own little genetic material , which is conk on exclusively by the female parent . At least in most sheath . But if the organelles are passed on to the offspring via the mother ’s orchis cell and also via the pollen of the Padre , there are often problems due to competition between the organelle originating from father and mother . The mechanism underlying this biological principle are by far not sympathize .
A squad of scientists led by Stephan Greiner from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology ( MPI - MP ) in Potsdam surprisingly found that the inheritance of the chloroplast genome is influence by the fatty acid metabolism . The work was published in the journal PNAS.Inheritance is a complex publication . Which cistron came from the female parent and which were inherited from the sire ? It is sure that mother and father each inherit 50 percent of their genetic material , both in plant , as well as in animals and humans . However , that is not all , because in addition to the factual genome in the prison cell cell nucleus , there are also organelles that have their own , small genome . These admit the mitochondria and , in the case of plant , the chloroplasts to boot . These organelles are normally passed on exclusively from the female parent to the offspring , although there are exception .
Chloroplast research in the evening primrose in the summer foil greenhouse at the MPI - MP . Credit : David Ausserhofer
One such exclusion is the evening primrose , a plant native to America and introduced to Europe in the 17th century . Today , it is an integral part of the Central European plant life .
In plant enquiry , the evening primrose is a popular manakin plant when it comes to the research of organelle inheritance , because both parent of the evening primula can inherit the chloroplast genetic material to their offspring . But this can result in problems because it is known that the maternal and paternal organelle compete with each other . They can not co - exist in the young as they compete for cellular resources , so one version must reign .
But how do chloroplasts fight out this engagement ? This head could not be answered for a long time . The research squad of Stephan Greiner at the MPI - MP and confrere from Canada , Poland and the USA have uncovered this secret in their current study . They were able to show that the fatty back breaker metabolic process is decisively creditworthy for which chloroplast is superscript to the other . " Most surprising for us was the discovery that the ' fight ' between the chloroplast genomes is not settle directly at the gene level , i.e. in the transmissible cloth itself , but that the metabolism playact an important role here , " state Stephan Greiner .
Among others , the research team identify an enzyme that catalyse the first and thus confine step in fatty battery-acid metabolism . In their analyzes , the research worker discover that the gene responsible for the synthesis of this enzyme is undergo speedy development . These speedy change enable an arms wash between the paternal and paternal chloroplast . They result in mutation that can head to improved property of the chloroplasts . An altered fatty Elvis synthesis could for instance change the theme of the chloroplast shell , which can be an advantage .
The determination of the researchers help to understand the mechanisms of phylogenesis in more item . In fact , great competition between enatic and agnatic chloroplasts can result in a non - viable progeny . In this case , the parent plant are unsuited . With the knowledge of the mechanism behind , it would be quite conceivable that one can overcome such limits and in hereafter would be able-bodied to make novel crossings , e.g. to spawn more fat or lively crop .
root : Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
