Question

Does Chromoplast have DNA?

Answer 1

Chromoplasts are plastids, heterogeneous organelles in photosynthetic eukaryotes that are responsible for pigment synthesis and storage. They are believed to be descended from symbiotic prokaryotes, like all other plastids such as chloroplasts and leucoplasts.

Complete answer:
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a molecule made up of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix and carry genetic instructions for all known organisms and many viruses' development, functioning, growth, and reproduction.

- Yes, DNA can be found in the chromoplast. It is a plastid type. Plastids are the result of cyanobacteria's endosymbiosis with algae or plants. Fruits, flowers, ageing leaves, and other plant parts have a different colour due to chromoplasts. They have carotenoid pigments in them.
- Chloroplasts and chromoplasts have the same DNA. A liquid chromatography analysis of tomato chromoplasts revealed increased cytosine methylation, revealing a slight difference in DNA.
- Orange carotene, yellow xanthophylls, and other red pigments are synthesized and stored in chromoplasts. As a result, the colour of their skin varies depending on the pigments they contain. The primary evolutionary function of chromoplasts is to attract pollinators or eaters of coloured fruits, which aid in seed dispersal. They can also be found in roots like carrots and sweet potatoes. They allow large amounts of water-insoluble compounds to accumulate in otherwise watery parts of plants.

Note:
- The red colour of ripe fruit in a cultivated tomato is due to lycopene, while the yellow colour of the flowers is due to the xanthophylls violaxanthin and neoxanthin.
- The primary evolutionary function of chromoplasts is to attract animals and insects to pollinate and disperse the seeds of plants.
- The term "chromoplast" is sometimes used to refer to any plastid that contains pigment, primarily to distinguish them from the different types of leucoplasts, which lack pigment.