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Biparental plastid inheritance and its implications in plastid genome engineering
Sandhya Yadav1, Dipanshu Ghosh1,2, Twinkle1,2
1Plant Adaptation and Stress Signaling Lab, Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, 176061, Palampur, India.
Plant Cell Reports
|October 10, 2025
Summary
Maternal inheritance of plastids is common in plants, but biparental plastid inheritance (BPI) can be induced by altering genetic and environmental factors. This shift has implications for plant fitness and engineering homoplasmic plants.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Genetics
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Plastids and mitochondria are typically inherited maternally in most plant species.
- Maternal inheritance ensures cytoplasmic and genetic compatibility, crucial for plant fitness.
- Biparental plastid inheritance (BPI) occurs in about 20% of angiosperms, but its mechanisms are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanisms of maternal plastid inheritance.
- To explore how genetic and environmental factors can induce biparental plastid inheritance (BPI).
- To discuss the evolutionary significance and applications of BPI.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on plastid inheritance.
- Analysis of studies modulating genetic and environmental factors affecting BPI.
- Discussion of the implications for plant fitness and genetic engineering.
Main Results:
- Maternal inheritance involves the exclusion of plastids from male gametes.
- Genetic and environmental factors, such as temperature, can promote BPI.
- BPI can lead to the inheritance of plastids from both parents.
Conclusions:
- Modulating genetic and environmental factors can shift maternal to biparental plastid inheritance.
- BPI is an uncommon yet vital mechanism with evolutionary relevance.
- Understanding BPI is significant for developing homoplasmic transplastomic plants for agriculture and synthetic biology.
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