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Pistil-function breakdown in a new S-allele of European pear, S 21 °, confers self-compatibility

  • Genetics and Genomics
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Abstract

European pear exhibits RNase-based gametophytic self-incompatibility controlled by the polymorphic S-locus. S-allele diversity of cultivars has been extensively investigated; however, no mutant alleles conferring self-compatibility have been reported. In this study, two European pear cultivars, ‘Abugo’ and ‘Ceremeño’, were classified as self-compatible after fruit/seed setting and pollen tube growth examination. S-genoty** through S-PCR and sequencing identified a new S-RNase allele in the two cultivars, with identical deduced amino acid sequence as S 21 , but differing at the nucleotide level. Test-pollinations and analysis of descendants suggested that the new allele is a self-compatible pistil-mutated variant of S 21 , so it was named S 21 °. S-genotypes assigned to ‘Abugo’ and ‘Ceremeño’ were S 10 S 21 ° and S 21 °S 25 respectively, of which S 25 is a new functional S-allele of European pear. Reciprocal crosses between cultivars bearing S 21 and S 21 ° indicated that both alleles exhibit the same pollen function; however, cultivars bearing S 21 ° had impaired pistil-S function as they failed to reject either S 21 or S 21 ° pollen. RT-PCR analysis showed absence of S 21 °-RNase gene expression in styles of ‘Abugo’ and ‘Ceremeño’, suggesting a possible origin for S 21 ° pistil dysfunction. Two polymorphisms found within the S-RNase genomic region (a retrotransposon insertion within the intron of S 21 ° and indels at the 3′UTR) might explain the different pattern of expression between S 21 and S 21 °. Evaluation of cultivars with unknown S-genotype identified another cultivar ‘Azucar Verde’ bearing S 21 °, and pollen tube growth examination confirmed self-compatibility for this cultivar as well. This is the first report of a mutated S-allele conferring self-compatibility in European pear.

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Abbreviations

GSI:

Gametophytic self-incompatibility

S-RNase:

Self-incompatibility ribonuclease

TRIM:

Terminal repeat retrotransposon in miniature

UTR:

Untranslated region

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Acknowledgments

This work was possible thanks to Dr. Manuel Carrera who developed the European pear genetic resources at CITA. Financial support for this work was provided by CICYT (Project Grant AGL2006-13529-C02-02) and ‘Grupo de Investigación Consolidado’ A43. The author was supported by a research contract INIA-CCAA.

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  1. Unidad de Fruticultura, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Avenida de Montañana, 930, 50059, Zaragoza, Spain

    Javier Sanzol

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  1. Javier Sanzol
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Correspondence to Javier Sanzol.

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Communicated by R. Schmidt.

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Sanzol, J. Pistil-function breakdown in a new S-allele of European pear, S 21 °, confers self-compatibility. Plant Cell Rep 28, 457–467 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-008-0645-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-008-0645-3

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