The self-compatibility mechanism in Brassica napus L. is applicable to F1 hybrid breeding

Theor Appl Genet. 2011 Aug;123(3):475-82. doi: 10.1007/s00122-011-1600-1. Epub 2011 May 5.

Abstract

Brassica napus, an allopolyploid species having the A genome of B. rapa and the C genome of B. oleracea, is self-compatible, although both B. rapa and B. oleracea are self-incompatible. We have previously reported that SP11/SCR alleles are not expressed in anthers, while SRK alleles are functional in the stigma in B. napus cv. 'Westar', which has BnS-1 similar to B. rapa S-47 and BnS-6 similar to B. oleracea S-15. This genotype is the most frequent S genotype in B. napus, and we hypothesized that the loss of the function of SP11 is the primary cause of the self-compatibility of 'Westar'. To verify this hypothesis, we transformed 'Westar' plants with the SP11 allele of B. rapa S-47. All the transgenic plants and their progeny were completely self-incompatible, demonstrating self-compatibility to be due to the S haplotype having the non-functional SP11 allele in the A genome, which suppresses a functional recessive SP11 allele in the C genome. An artificially synthesized B. napus line having two recessive SP11 alleles was developed by interspecific hybridization between B. rapa and B. oleracea. This line was self-incompatible, but F(1) hybrids between this line and 'Westar' were self-compatible. These results suggest that the self-compatibility mechanism of 'Westar' is applicable to F(1) seed production in B. napus.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Blotting, Southern
  • Brassica napus / genetics*
  • Breeding
  • Gene Dosage
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant*
  • Genes, Plant
  • Haplotypes
  • Hybridization, Genetic*
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / genetics
  • Pollen / genetics
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Self-Incompatibility in Flowering Plants*

Substances

  • Plant Proteins