Genetic features of a pollen-part mutation suggest an inhibitory role for the Antirrhinum pollen self-incompatibility determinant

Plant Mol Biol. 2009 Jul;70(5):499-509. doi: 10.1007/s11103-009-9487-9. Epub 2009 Apr 10.

Abstract

Self-incompatibility (SI), an important barrier to inbreeding in flowering plants, is controlled in many species by a single polymorphic S-locus. In the Solanaceae, two tightly linked S-locus genes, S-RNase and SLF (S-locus F-box)/SFB (S-haplotype-specific F-box), control SI expression in pistil and pollen, respectively. The pollen S-determinant appears to function to inhibit all but self S-RNase in the Solanaceae, but its genetic function in the closely-related Plantaginaceae remains equivocal. We have employed transposon mutagenesis in a member of the Plantaginaceae (Antirrhinum) to generate a pollen-part SI-breakdown mutant Pma1 (Pollen-part mutation in Antirrhinum1). Molecular genetic analyses showed that an extra telocentric chromosome containing AhSLF-S ( 1 ) is present in its self-compatible but not in its SI progeny. Furthermore, analysis of the effects of selection revealed positive selection acting on both SLFs and SFBs, but with a stronger purifying selection on SLFs. Taken together, our results suggest an inhibitor role of the pollen S in the Plantaginaceae (as represented by Antirrhinum), similar to that found in the Solanaceae. The implication of these findings is discussed in the context of S-locus evolution in flowering plants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antirrhinum / genetics*
  • Crosses, Genetic
  • DNA Transposable Elements / genetics
  • Haplotypes
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional
  • Mutation*
  • Phenotype
  • Plant Infertility / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / genetics*
  • Pollen / genetics*
  • Pollen / growth & development
  • Pollen Tube / genetics
  • Pollen Tube / growth & development
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Ribonucleases / genetics*

Substances

  • DNA Transposable Elements
  • Plant Proteins
  • Ribonucleases
  • ribonuclease S