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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #255493
Title: Mapping Eight Male-Sterile, Female-Sterile Soybean Mutants

Author
item SLATTERY, REBECCA - University Of Wisconsin
item PRITZL, SARAH - University Of Wisconsin
item KRAUSE, KATIE - University Of Wisconsin
item TRAUTSCHOLD, BRIAN - University Of Wisconsin
item Palmer, Reid
item SANDHU, DEVINDER - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/13/2010
Publication Date: 2/28/2011
Citation: Slattery, R.A., Pritzl, S., Krause, K., Trautschold, B., Palmer, R.G., Sandhu, D. 2011. Mapping eight male-sterile, female-sterile soybean mutants. Crop Science. 51:231-236.

Interpretive Summary: Male and female development in plants results in gametes, fertilization, and seed development. In soybean, the seed is the product of commercial importance. Changes in male or female development can lead to complete or partial male and/or female sterility. Eight male-sterile, female-sterile mutants were identified. Two occurred spontaneously in separate breeding studies. Six occurred among progeny from a cross between two female partial-sterile mutants. The two spontaneous mutants mapped to separate locations in the genome.Three of the six mapped to the same location.The other three (of the six) mapped to the same location as 37 previously reported male-sterile, female-sterile mutations.The location in the genome of genes that influence male and/or female fertility/sterility gives scientists information about genome organization and structure.Why have 40 mutations (37+3) occurred at the same location? Is there something unique about the molecular sequence in this genomic region? The answer to this question is not known. A similar study with male-sterile, female-sterile mutants is in progress. Genomic scientists will benefit from mapping mutants that cluster in certain chromosome regions. These chromosome regions contain molecular sequences that are more susceptible to change. Directed changes in these chromosome regions will benefit breeders and eventually the consumer.

Technical Abstract: In soybean, mutations in genes involved in meiosis can lead to altered chromosome pairing and result in non-functional gametes.Mutability of the w4 flower color locus in soybean is due to an unstable allele designated w4-m (mutable). Several germinal revertant studies using the w4-m system resulted in generation of mutants for necrotic roots, chlorophyll-deficiency, and sterility. In the present study, six male-sterile, female-sterile mutant lines were identified from an independent mutational event that involved T366H (female-partial sterile mutant), which was a germinal revertant of w4-m. In addition, two spontaneous mutations were identified that resulted in male-sterile, female-sterile mutants. The objectives of this study were to investigate if the newly identified six male-sterile, female-sterile germinal revertant mutants were allelic to previous germinal revertant steriles or are novel mutants, and to molecularly map the locations of these six mutants along with two spontaneous male-sterile, female-sterile mutants. Three of the six mutants identified in the germinal revertant study mapped to the st8 region on chromosome Gm16 [Molecular Linkage Group (MLG) J]. The other three mutants mapped to a novel location on chromosome Gm14 (MLG B2). Of the two spontaneous mutants, one mapped to chromosome Gm02 (MLG D1b) and the second one mapped to Gm18 (MLG G).