title: A novel epistatic interaction at two loci causing hybrid male sterility in an inter-subspecific cross of rice (Oryza sativa L.).
abstract: Postzygotic reproductive isolation (RI) often arises in inter-subspecific crosses as well as inter-specific crosses of rice (Oryza sativa L.). To further understand the genetic architecture of the postzygotic RI, we analyzed genes causing hybrid sterility and hybrid breakdown in a rice inter-subspecific cross. Here we report hybrid male sterility caused by epistatic interaction between two novel genes, S24 and S35, which were identified on rice chromosomes 5 and 1, respectively. Genetic analysis using near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying IR24 (ssp. indica) segments with Asominori (ssp. japonica) genetic background revealed a complicated aspect of the epistasis. Allelic interaction at the S24 locus in the heterozygous plants caused abortion of male gametes carrying the Asominori allele (S24-as) independent of the S35 genotype. On the other hand, male gametes carrying the Asominori allele at the S35 locus (S35-as) showed abortion only when the IR24 allele at the S24 locus (S24-ir) was concurrently introgressed into the S35 heterozygous plants, indicating that the sterility phenotype due to S35 was dependent on the S24 genotype through negative epistasis between S24-ir and S35-as alleles. Due to the interaction between S24 and S35, self-pollination of the double heterozygous plants produced pollen-sterile progeny carrying the S24-ir/S24-ir S35-as/S35-ir genotype in addition to the S24 heterozygous plants. This result suggests that the S35 gene might function as a modifier of S24. This study presents strong evidence for the importance of epistatic interaction as a part of the genetic architecture of hybrid sterility in rice. In addition, it suggests that diverse systems have been developed as postzygotic RI mechanisms within the rice.
authors.affiliation: Plant Breeding Laboratory, Division of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Department of Applied Genetics and Pest Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Japan. takubo@lab.nig.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamagata
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
mesh_terms: D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D007246:Infertility / Q000235:genetics*; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity