A PECTIN METHYLESTERASE gene at the maize Ga1 locus confers male function in unilateral cross-incompatibility
Zhaogui Zhang1,2, Baocai Zhang3, Zhibin Chen1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Unilateral cross-incompatibility (UCI) is a unidirectional inter/intra-population reproductive barrier when both parents are self-compatible. Maize Gametophyte factor1 (Ga1) is an intraspecific UCI system and has been utilized in breeding. However, the mechanism underlying maize UCI specificity has remained mysterious for decades. Here, we report the cloning of ZmGa1P, a pollen-expressed PECTIN METHYLESTERASE (PME) gene at the Ga1 locus that can confer the male function in the maize UCI system. Homozygous transgenic plants expressing ZmGa1P in a ga1 background can fertilize Ga1-S plants and can be fertilized by pollen of ga1 plants. ZmGa1P protein is predominantly localized to the apex of growing pollen tubes and may interact with another pollen-specific PME protein, ZmPME10-1, to maintain the state of pectin methylesterification required for pollen tube growth in Ga1-S silks. Our study discloses a PME-mediated UCI mechanism and provides a tool to manipulate hybrid breeding.
Related Concept Videos
01:34Crossing Over
The homologous pairs of sister chromosomes—one from the maternal and one from the paternal genome—then begin to align alongside each other lengthwise, matching corresponding DNA positions in a process...
01:26Locus of Control
02:39Gene Flow
01:19Root-Locus Method
This system can be represented by a block...
01:15Construction of Root Locus
For positive gain values, the root locus exists on the real axis to the left of an odd number of finite open-loop poles or zeros. The root locus starts at the open-loop poles and traces the paths of the closed-loop poles as the gain...
01:05Properties of the Root Locus
To determine if a point lies on the root locus, the criterion involves the sum of angles contributed by all poles and zeros to that point. Specifically, this sum must be an odd multiple of 180 degrees. The gain at any point on...