Genetic and molecular analyses of nuclear male sterility loci in sorghum

Authors: Chen, Junping; Echevarria Laza, Haydee; JIAO, YINPING - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Ware, Doreen; Xin, Zhanguo

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/2019
Publication Date: 11/8/2019
Citation: Chen, J., Echevarria Laza, H.J., Jiao, Y., Ware, D., Xin, Z. 2019. Genetic and molecular analyses of nuclear male sterility loci in sorghum. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. online.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nuclear male sterility (NMS) is important for understanding microspore development and could facilitate the development of new strategies to control male sterility for efficient production of hybrid seeds. Several NMS lines have been reported in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] previously. However, the underlying genes responsible for the male-sterile phenotype have not been identified, hampering the utility of NMS in sorghum breeding. Here, we report: 1) identification and genetic characterization of scores of NMS mutants isolated from an ethyl methane sulfonate–mutagenized (EMS) mutant population in the sorghum inbred BTx623 background; 2) classification of the isolated NMS mutant lines; 3) identification of mutant alleles for the most commonly used NMS line, ms3, in sorghum breeding; 4) mapping and cloning of the first sorghum male sterile gene using a MutMap approach; and 5) functional characterization of Ms gene mutations in microspore development. The NMS mutants, together with the causal genes identified provide new genetic tools for studying pollen development and developing new strategies to breed hybrids efficiently.