Scientists Identify Pollen Self Incompatibility Gene

Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom have identified the elusive male-gene in the field poppy (Papaver rhoeas) that is responsible for self-incompatibility, an important mechanism that prevents inbreeding and promotes greater genetic diversity. Scientists have already identified the female gene that tells the stigma which pollens to reject or accept. But the male counterpart of this gene, the corresponding molecular label on the pollen that allows recognition of "self", has long remained elusive.

Reporting in the journal Nature, Noni Franklin-Tong and colleagues found that the interaction of the male and female genes triggers a cascade of chemical signals for inhibiting growth of the pollen tube. Once the pollen tube growth is inhibited, apoptosis or programmed cell death kicks in, and the "self" pollen is told to commit suicide. According to the researchers, the identification of the male gene, which they called PrpS, may provide a new way to produce F1 hybrid crops.

Read the original story at http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/media/releases/2009/090601_scientists_solve_poppy_puzzle.html Subscribers to Nature can download the full paper at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature08027