Parent–offspring variation transmission in full-sib families revealed predominantly paternal inheritance of chloroplast DNA in Pinus massoniana (Pinaceae)

The inheritance of chloroplast genome DNA (cpDNA) differs from that of the nuclear genome. The cpDNAs of most species originate from the female parent, whereas some plastids are paternal or biparental in origin. The plastid transmission of Pinaceae species is thought to occur exclusively by paternal inheritance with a few exceptions. However, plastid transmission in a common species of Pinus (Pinaceae), Pinus massoniana , remains unexplored. In this study, 16 parents and 84 progenies from 9 full-sib families including one reciprocal cross were used as research materials, and a minisatellite locus and 3 cpDNA DNA fragments were used to investigate the plastid transmission of P. massoniana . The results showed that 96.73% of the offspring had cpDNA sequences consistent with those of their male parents, whereas only 3.27% of the offspring had cpDNA sequences similar to those of their female parents. These results revealed that plastid transmission in P. massoniana is predominantly paternal, mainly manifesting as high-frequency (greater than 95%) paternal inheritance and low-frequency maternal inheritance. However, the mechanism of paternal inheritance requires more evidence and further research.