Three types of genes underlying the Gametophyte factor1 locus cause unilateral cross incompatibility in maize

Yuebin Wang, Wenqiang Li, Luxi Wang, Jiali Yan, Gang Lu, Ning Yang, Jieting Xu, Yuqing Wang, Songtao Gui, Gengshen Chen, Shuyan Li, Chengxiu Wu, Tingting Guo, Yingjie Xiao, Marilyn L. Warburton, Alisdair R. Fernie, Thomas Dresselhaus and Jianbing Yan ()
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Yuebin Wang: Huazhong Agricultural University
Wenqiang Li: Huazhong Agricultural University
Luxi Wang: Huazhong Agricultural University
Jiali Yan: Huazhong Agricultural University
Gang Lu: Huazhong Agricultural University
Ning Yang: Huazhong Agricultural University
Jieting Xu: Huazhong Agricultural University
Yuqing Wang: Huazhong Agricultural University
Songtao Gui: Huazhong Agricultural University
Gengshen Chen: Huazhong Agricultural University
Shuyan Li: Huazhong Agricultural University
Chengxiu Wu: Huazhong Agricultural University
Tingting Guo: Huazhong Agricultural University
Yingjie Xiao: Huazhong Agricultural University
Marilyn L. Warburton: USDA ARS Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit
Alisdair R. Fernie: Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Thomas Dresselhaus: University of Regensburg
Jianbing Yan: Huazhong Agricultural University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Unilateral cross incompatibility (UCI) occurs between popcorn and dent corn, and represents a critical step towards speciation. It has been reported that ZmGa1P, encoding a pectin methylesterase (PME), is a male determinant of the Ga1 locus. However, the female determinant and the genetic relationship between male and female determinants at this locus are unclear. Here, we report three different types, a total of seven linked genes underlying the Ga1 locus, which control UCI phenotype by independently affecting pollen tube growth in both antagonistic and synergistic manners. These include five pollen-expressed PME genes (ZmGa1Ps-m), a silk-expressed PME gene (ZmPME3), and another silk-expressed gene (ZmPRP3), encoding a pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. ZmGa1Ps-m confer pollen compatibility. Presence of ZmPME3 causes silk to reject incompatible pollen. ZmPRP3 promotes incompatibility pollen tube growth and thereby breaks the blocking effect of ZmPME3. In addition, evolutionary genomics analyses suggest that the divergence of the Ga1 locus existed before maize domestication and continued during breeding improvement. The knowledge gained here deepen our understanding of the complex regulation of cross incompatibility.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32180-9

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