Structure and expression of AtS1, an Arabidopsis thaliana gene homologous to the S-locus related genes of Brassica

✍ Scribed by Dwyer, Kathleen G. ;Lalonde, Beth A. ;Nasrallah, June B. ;Nasrallah, Mikhail E.

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 926 KB
• Volume: 231
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0026-8925
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00292714

✦ Synopsis

Genetic and molecular analysis of the self-incompatibility locus (S-locus) of the crucifer Brassica has led to the characterization of a multigene family involved in pollen-stigma interactions. While the crucifer Arabidopsis thaliana does not have a self-incompatibility system, S-related sequence were detected in this species by cross-hybridization with Brassica DNA probes. In this paper, we show that an A. thaliana S-related sequence, designated AtS1, is expressed specifically in flower buds. Sequence analysis suggests that AtS1 encodes a secreted glycoprotein that is most similar to the Brassica S-locus related protein SLR1. As has been proposed for SLR1, this gene may be involved in determining some fundamental aspect of pollen-stigma interactions during pollination. The molecular and genetic advantages of the Arabidopsis system will provide many avenues for testing this hypothesis.