Maize Gametophytic factor loci Ga3 through Ga11 modify reproductive barriers

Gametophytic factor (Ga) barriers are maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) reproductive barriers controlled by molecular incompatibilities between pollen and silks. Twelve distinct Ga loci have been identified in maize populations since the first genetic evidence of a Ga barrier was reported in 1901. Of the twelve, however, only three have been validated by modern molecular, functional and genomic studies: Ga1, Ga2, and Tcb1. The remaining "higher" Ga loci, spanning Ga3 to Ga11, were reported in the historical literature, but their associated phenotypes segregated in unexpected ways or disappeared over subsequent generations. Here we introduce and explore the hypothesis that the higher Ga loci represent modifiers of Ga1, Ga2, and Tcb1 barrier functions. By revisiting the historical literature, we found that barrier phenotypes fall into two phenotypic and functional categories. Phenotypically, the two categories represented healthy pollen with a silk-length effect and unhealthy pollen without a silk-length effect. These phenotypic categories were supported by genomic data; we identified candidate genes in each higher Ga locus by comparing historical linkage mapping data to the corresponding genomic sequence of maize reference line B73. We discovered candidate genes related to two broad pathways: pollen tube growth and RNA-directed DNA methylation. We conclude that the past century of evidence aligns with our hypothesis that maize loci Ga3 through Ga11 modify rather than directly control Ga barriers. This brief investigation provides a starting point for geneticists and evolutionary biologists to explore how strong reproductive barriers are shaped by epistatic interactions.