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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #225330
Title: Molecular Mapping of 36 Soybean Male-Sterile, Female-Sterile Mutants

Author
item Palmer, Reid
item SANDHU, D - U WISCONSIN STEVENS POINT
item CURRAN, K - U WISCONSIN STEVENS POINT
item BHATTACHARYYA, M - ISU

Submitted to: Theoretical and Applied Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/21/2008
Publication Date: 5/21/2008
Citation: Palmer, R.G., Sandhu, D., Curran, K., Bhattacharyya, M.K. 2008. Molecular Mapping of 36 Soybean Male-Sterile, Female-Sterile Mutants. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 117:711-719.

Interpretive Summary: Changes in a plant’s appearance can be due to biotic or abiotic factors, and may or may not be heritable. In soybean, some changes or mutations may affect female, male, or simultaneously affect male and female fertility. The end result is complete or partial sterility, i.e., no or limited seed production. The objective was to determine if all 37 male-sterile, female-sterile mutants were genetically similar (identical) and whether or not the mutant trait mapped to a common location on the chromosome. Thirty-six of 37 mutants were mapped to the same chromosomal region on Molecular Linkage Map (MLG J). One of the male-sterile, female-sterile mutants was mapped to MLG G. These mutants that show site specific preference, i.e., MLG G are of great interest to plant geneticists. What base sequences are necessary for site-specific insertion? These genetic lines are ideal plant materials to answer this question.

Technical Abstract: Mutability of the w4 flower color locus in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is conditioned by an unstable allele designated w4-m. Germinal revertants, purple-flower plants, recovered among self-pollinated progeny of mutable flower plants have been associated with the generation of necrotic root mutations, chlorophyll-deficiency mutations, and sterility mutations. A total of 37 male-sterile, female-sterile mutant lines were generated from 37 independent reversion events at the w4-m locus. The first germinal revertant study had one male-sterile, female-sterile mutant (st8, T352), which was located on Molecular Linkage Group (MLG) J. The second study had 36 germinal-revertant derived sterility mutants descended from 4 mutable categories of w4-m. The mutable categories were designated; (1) low frequency of early excisions, (2) low frequency of late excisions, (3) high frequency of early excisions, and (4) high frequency of late excisions. These mutable categories were based upon flower phenotype, i.e., somatic tissue. Thirty-three of 36 male-sterile, female-sterile mutations were derived from germinal reversions that were classified in the late excision categories. Of these 33 mutants, 14 came from the low frequency of excisions category and 19 came from the high frequency of excisions category. A total of 35 male-sterile mutants derived from the second germinal revertant study mapped to the st8 region on MLG J. The only exception, sterility mutant from entry ASR-7-206, was descended from the low frequency, early excision category and mapped to MLG G. It is most likely that the male-sterile, female-sterile mutants were generated through insertion of a putative transposon that was excised from the w4 locus. The location of 36 of 37 male-sterile, female-sterile mutations to a single chromosomal region strongly suggests that the putative transposon may have preference for sequence-dependent insertion.