Scribd
Upload
42 views8 pages

Cytolasmic Inheritence

Uploaded by

www.shamiff.w32
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
42 views8 pages

Cytolasmic Inheritence

Uploaded by

www.shamiff.w32
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

Chapter Cytoplasmic or Extra-Nuclear Inheritance

The genes of nuclear chromosomes have a key role in the inheritance of almost all traits from
generations to generations, but certain experimental evidence suggest the occurrence of certain
extranuclear genes or DNA molecules in the cytoplasm of many prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
which play a role in the inheritance of traits. It is known by different terms such as non-
chromosomal, uniparental, maternal, extra-chromosomal, cytoplasmic and extra-nuclear
inheritance.

1. Maternal Inheritance
 The embryo is formed when a female gamete unites with a male gamete. In the vast majority
of species, the female gamete is physically larger than the male gamete and female gamete
contributes almost all of the cytoplasm to the zygote while male gamete (sperm or pollen)
contributes only a nucleus.
 Within this cytoplasm are factors that were released by the nuclear genes of the female.
Those factors may have specific effects upon the developing embryo. The phenotypes that
are controlled by nuclear factors found in the cytoplasm of the female are said to express
a maternal effect.
 Phenotypic expressions of maternal genes (genotype) may be short-lived or may persist
throughout the life-span of the individual.

(a) Shell coiling in Limnaea


Inheritance patterns due to maternal genes were first identified in the 1920s by A. E. Boycott, in
freshwater snail Limnaea. In this species, the shell and internal organs can be arranged in either a
right-handed (dextral) or a left-handed (sinistral) direction. This direction of coiling is
genetically controlled. Dextral-coiling depend upon dominant allele D and sinistral coiling
depend upon recessive-allele d, so that dextral is DD or Dd and sinistral is dd.
When the eggs of a homozygous sinistral individual (dd) are fertilized by the sperm of a dextral
individual (DD), the eggs cleave sinistrally and all the snails of this F1 generation show a
sinistral coiling of the shell, the gen D.
If a second generation (F2) is bred from such F1 sinistral individuals, it is all dextral (with
genotypic ratio of 1DD: 2Dd :Idd).
The type of cleavage is, therefore, under the influence of the genotype of the maternal parent.
The sperm enters the egg after this organization is already established. The origin of dextral and
sinistral coiling can be traced to the orientation of the mitotic spindle at the two to four celled
stage of embryonic development.
(b) Pigment in flour moth (Ephestia )
A temporary maternal effect was discovered in flour moth {Ephestia) by Caspari. Dominant gene
A is responsible for production of a pigment precursor kynurenine so it shows pigmented lava
and has dark brown eyes. Homozygous recessive (aa) lacks kynurenine, so that it shows
pigmentless lava and has red colour eyes.
When homozygous AA (pigmented) is crossed to nonpigmented homozygous recessive aa moth,
all progeny in F1 is Aa, that is pigmented lava and have dark brown eyes.
When heterozygote Aa male is crossed to homozygous recessive aa female, progeny segregates
1 Aa (pigmented lava and have dark brown eyes): 1 aa (non-pigmented larva and red eyes).
In reciprocal cross, pigmented Aa (♀) x non-pigmented aa (♂), all the progeny {l Aa: 1 aa) had
pigmented larvae. But when larvae ' matured, only half of them {Aa) were dark brown eyed, the
other half (aa) were red eyed.
These homozygous (aa) pigmented larvae received their egg cytoplasm from mother (Aa) and,
therefore, had kynurenine in early stages of development, but they were incapable of
synthesizing their own kynurenine in the absence of dominant allele and hence loss of pigment in
adult moth.

(2) EXTRANUCLEAR INHERITENCE


Certain intra-cellular particles are self-reproducing and transmitted from one generation to other
generation and look like the cytoplasmic inclusions. Sometimes they exhibit an infection like
transmission with a hereditary continuity of their own.
(i) Sigma virus in Drosophila:
There adre two types or starin of Drosophila melanogaster.
i. One strain of Drosophila shows a high degree of sensitivity to carbon dioxide. This sensitive
strain is killed in brief exposure to low concentrations.
ii. The wild type strain can be exposed for long periods to pure CO2 without any permanent
damage.
Tests have disclosed that CO2 sensitivity is dependent upon an infectious DNA virus called
sigma, found in the cytoplasm of CO2 sensitive Drosophila. These infective particles are
transmitted normally via the egg’s larger amount of cytoplasm but occasionally through the
sperms as well.
Kappa particles in Paramecium:
There are wo strains of Paramecium for Kappa particles.
i. Kappa particles are found in one strains of Paramecium, and are responsible for production
of substance paramecin, therefore known as killer starin.
ii. The wild train donot possess kappa particles and called sensitive strain. They are sensitive to
the paramecin.
The production of kappa particles is dependent on a dominant allele K, so that killer strains
are KK or Kk and sensitive strains are kk.
If the killer (KK) and sensitive (kk) strains are allowed to conjugate, all exconjugants (the cells
separating after conjugation) will have same genotype Kk. Phenotypes of these exconjugants will
depend upon duration for which conjugation is allowed.
(a) If conjugation does not persist long enough for exchange of cytoplasm, heterozygote
(Kk) exconjugants will only have parental phenotypes. It means that killers will remain
killers and sensitive will remain sensitive even after conjugation.
(b) If conjugation persists, sensitive strain will receive kappa particles and will become
killer, so that exconjugants will be kill
‘: |p
Plastid, inheritance in four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa).
Although most heritable traits in higher organisms are controlled by DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid) in the nucleus, there are now available, a fairly large number of examples where DNA
located in cytoplasmic organelles is known to control hereditary traits eg chloroplast and
mitochondria.
Most important of plastids are chloroplasts carrying green pigment, the chlorophyll. These
chloroplasts duplicate themselves independently of other parts of the cell, and carry genetic
information in the form of DNA. plastids are transmitted through egg cytoplasm. Variation in

colour of leaves, branches or whole plants is due to two kinds of plastids (normal green and |
<,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,;mutant albino). These two types of plastids will multiply and give rise to their own types due to
cell division. But these daughter plastids may not equally distribute themselves to daughter cells.
In rapidly dividing cells, division of plastids may not keep pace with cell division. A cell having
both kinds of plastids may give rise to three types of cells namely (i) those with mainly normal
green plastids; (ii) those with mainly mutant albino plastids and (iii) those with both kinds of
plastids. These three kinds of cells when present as eggs will give three kinds of progenies.
However, these three kinds of cells will not be distinguished as sperms and, therefore, variegated
plant when used only as male will give only one kind of progeny.

;;;;’
;
;;
;[]

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy