Potential for biparental cytoplasmic inheritance in Jasminum officinale and Jasminum nudiflorum

 Mature Jasminum officinale and J. nudiflorum pollen grains were stained with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and examined by epifluorescence microscopy. The pollen grains were found to be trinucleate, and the sperm cells in both species contained a large number of epifluorescent spots that corresponded to cytoplasmic DNA aggregates (nucleoids). The nucleoids of J. nudiflorum were observed to be dimorphic under the epifluorescence microscope, indicating that the sperm cells might contain both plastid and mitochondrial DNA. The nucleoids of J. officinale presented a similar appearance when stained with DAPI, but electron microscopic examination of the sperm cells revealed that they contained both plastids and mitochondria. When analyzed by DNA immunogold electron microscopy, gold particles were detected on both plastids and mitochondria. These findings demonstrated the preservation of plastid and mitochondrial DNA in mature sperm cells and thus the potential for biparental cytoplasmic inheritance in J. officinale and J. nudiflorum. Received: 8 August 1997 / Revision accepted: 25 February 1998