Isolated mitochondria were microinjected into chloramphenicol sensistive cells. The microinjected cells grew in chloramphenicol-containing medium . Some heritable traits, such as chloramphenicol resistance, are cytoplasmically inherited. Mitochondria must contain genetic material. Further information Mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own genomes .
Cytoplasmic inheritance can be maternal or biparental .
A variety of mechanisms are responsible for maternal inheritance. Organelle genetics is the genetics of populations. Replication of organelle genomes differs from that of nuclear genomes. Mechanisms for segregation of organelles may exist. Defects in organelle genomes are associated with hereditary diseases .