Question

Which is not an example of cytoplasmic inheritance?
A. Female sterility in maize
B. Sigma particle inheritance
C. Kappa particle inheritance
D. Plastid inheritance

Answer 1

Hint: Cytoplasmic inheritance or extranuclear inheritance is the transfer of genes that usually occurs outside the nucleus. It is seen in many eukaryotes and is also known to occur in cytoplasmic cell organelles such as mitochondria, chloroplasts or in viruses or bacteria.

Complete answer:
Cytoplasmic male sterility is total or partial male sterility in plants which occurs due to certain nuclear and mitochondrial interactions. Male sterility results in the failure of plants to yield functional anthers, pollen, or male gametes. Cytoplasmic male sterility is a very essential part of hybrid maize production. But it is unaffected in case of female sterility and is only related to male sterility in maize.
Considering other options: B. Sigma particle inheritance is seen in Drosophila species in which a certain virus-like particle induced CO₂ sensitivity in sensitive flies causing limb paralysis unlike the normal flies which can withstand long periods of CO₂ exposure.
C. Kappa particle inheritance is seen in paramecium in which the strains having a greater number of k particles in the cytoplasm secretes a toxin paramecium which kills the other sensitive strains of paramecium.
D. Plastid inheritance in most plants happens only from one parent; the plastid from the other parents is completely lost. In the case of angiosperms, the plastids are inherited from the female gamete while in gymnosperms it is from the male gametes.

So, the correct answer is “Option A”.

Note:
It is basically the inheritance of genes located in the cytoplasm. There are 3 types of cytoplasmic inheritance such as maternal inheritance, organellar inheritance and inheritance involving infectious particles.