plastids make for great de-differentiation and re-differentiation February 4, 2016 10:15

Because all the plastids within a plant differentiate from a proplastid in the zygote, they are all genetically identical, even if they express different proteins.  But differentiation into one type of plastid does not have to be final.  Consider the cells within a potato.  Potato cells are filled with amyloplasts, the starch-storers.  Yet, when a potato is allowed to root and grow, green shoots emerge from the potato.  The shoots get their green color from the chloroplasts inside them.  So, as amyloplast-filled cells divide, cells with chloroplasts are the daughter cells.  That tells us that a plastid remains multipotent even after differentiation.  Pretty awesome, huh?