Genetic interactions among sex-determining genes in the fern Ceratopteris richardii

Haploid gametophytes of the fern Ceratopteris are either male or hermaphroditic. The determinant of sex type is the pheromone antheridiogen, which is secreted by the hermaphrodite and directs male development of young, sexually undetermined gametophytes. Three phenotypic classes of mutations that affect sex-determination were previously isolated and include the hermaphroditic (her), the transformer (tra) and feminization (fem) mutations. In the present study, linkage analysis and tests of epistasis among the different mutants have been performed to assess the possible interactions among these genes. The results indicate that sex determination in Ceratopteris involves at least seven interacting genes in addition to antheridiogen, the primary sex-determining signal. Two models describing how antheridiogen may influence the activity states of these genes and the sex of the gametophyte are discussed.