In: Biology
A plastid is an organelle found in many eukaryote cells. Would you expect the plastid DNA of photosynthetic dinoflagellates, diatoms, and golden algae to be more similar to the nuclear DNA of plants (domain Eukarya) or to the chromosomal DNA of cyanobacteria (domain Bacteria)? Explain
Plastid DNA of photosynthetic dinoflagellates, diatoms, and golden algae would be similar to the chromosomal DNA of cyanobacteria.
Basically, plastid is an organelle (Subunit that performs specific functions) found in cells of some plants, algae, and eukaryotic organisms.
Cyanobacteria which are unicellular prokaryotes consist of photosynthetic bacteria and endosymbiotic plastids. Endosymbiotic means basically the organisms that tend to stay within the cells or body of other organisms. Their DNA is present in the cytoplasm which contains nonfunctional plasmid DNA.
So, the plastid DNA of photosynthetic dinoflagellates, diatoms, and golden algae has to be more similar to the chromosomal DNA of cyanobacteria i.e the domain bacteria which includes the prokaryotes and some autographs. Domain Eukarya contains some eukaryotes.
Suppose the plastid DNA is derived from the cyanobacterium, that DNA could be have been derived from the bacterial DNA which is the chromosomal DNA of cyanobacteria. In this way, the plastid DNA of photosynthetic dinoflagellates, diatoms, and golden algae would be similar to the chromosomal DNA of cyanobacteria. Basically, this is called a endosymbiotic event where a eukaryote eats a cyanobacterium. If the plastid derives from cyanobacteria then the DNA is thought to be a bacterial DNA.