Plants can pass random cell mutations on to their seeds
Rogo U, Fambrini M, Pugliesi C
Plant Signaling
That gnarly old apple tree with a branch producing oddly sweet fruit isn't a fluke: a mutation in that one branch's cells could end up in the seeds, which is exactly how many heirloom varieties got their start.
Unlike animals, plants don't lock their cells into fixed jobs forever. A skin cell on a leaf or stem can, under the right conditions, rewind back to a stem-cell-like state and grow into a whole new shoot, flower, or even a seed. That means a random mutation that shows up in just one branch can end up baked into the next generation, and stress-related chemical tags on the DNA can get inherited too, giving plants a surprising shortcut for evolving and adapting.
Key Findings
Mature plant cells retain developmental plasticity and can dedifferentiate back to a stem-cell-like state to regenerate new organs or whole fertile plants
Because any somatic cell lineage can potentially contribute to flowers and seeds, mutations arising outside the germline can still become heritable, a pathway rare or absent in animals
Environmental stress can induce heritable epigenetic changes, such as shifts in DNA methylation, that are transmitted to offspring never exposed to the original stressor
chevron_right Technical Summary
Plants can pass new mutations that pop up in ordinary leaf or stem cells down to their offspring, something animals almost never do, because plant cells can revert to a stem-cell-like state and regrow entire new parts, including flowers and seeds. This flexible development also lets stress-triggered chemical changes to DNA get inherited, giving plants extra ways to adapt and evolve.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Inheritance of somatic mutations and epigenetic variations in plants.
Plant development is characterized by an open growth system, with tissue continuously produced by meristems. Many mature plant cells are not permanently fixed in a state of terminal differentiation...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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