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Oxford University Press, Journal of Experimental Botany, 8(64), p. 2423-2434, 2013

DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert098

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Patterns of evolution at the gametophytic self-incompatibility Sorbus aucuparia (Pyrinae) S pollen genes support the non-self recognition by multiple factors model

This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

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Abstract

S-RNase-based gametophytic self-incompatibility evolved once before the split of the Asteridae and Rosidae. In Prunus (tribe Amygdaloideae of Rosaceae), the self-incompatibility S-pollen is a single F-box gene that presents the expected evolutionary signatures. In Malus and Pyrus (subtribe Pyrinae of Rosaceae), however, clusters of F-box genes (called SFBBs) have been described that are expressed in pollen only and are linked to the S-RNase gene. Although polymorphic, SFBB genes present levels of diversity lower than those of the S-RNase gene. They have been suggested as putative S-pollen genes, in a system of non-self recognition by multiple factors. Subsets of allelic products of the different SFBB genes interact with non-self S-RNases, marking them for degradation, and allowing compatible pollinations. This study performed a detailed characterization of SFBB genes in Sorbus aucuparia (Pyrinae) to address three predictions of the non-self recognition by multiple factors model. As predicted, the number of SFBB genes was large to account for the many S-RNase specificities. Secondly, like the S-RNase gene, the SFBB genes were old. Thirdly, amino acids under positive selection—those that could be involved in specificity determination—were identified when intra-haplotype SFBB genes were analysed using codon models. Overall, the findings reported here support the non-self recognition by multiple factors model.