Papaver self-incompatibility is controlled by two multiallelic idiomorphs
Self-incompatibility (SI) prevents self-fertilization through highly polymorphic genetic recognition at the S locus with multiple alleles. In Papaver rhoeas , the S determinants were previously identified as PrpS and PrsS . However, we found that PrpS-PrsS was absent in many S haplotypes. In this work, we report the identification of an alternative pair of polymorphic S genes, S locus oligopeptide transporter ( SOPT ) and S locus glycine-rich protein ( SGRP ), segregating at the S locus when PrpS-PrsS is absent. SOPT and SGRP display hallmark S determinant features and confer SI when heterologously expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana . Therefore, instead of having allelomorphs with homologous variants, the Papaver SI system is determined by two multiallelic idiomorphs sharing no obvious common ancestry. This discovery of a dual-idiomorph system reveals a distinct genetic basis for polymorphism, with implications for the evolution of allorecognition mechanisms.
Authors
- Tao Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7302-6445)
- Wen‐Biao Jiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8355-2959)
- Xutong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4625-7659)
- X Y Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4516-6701)
- Zongcheng Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4556-0226)
- Kai Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2851-6741)
- Qiang Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1786-9696)
- Vernonica E. Franklin‐Tong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1782-8413)
- Jia‐Yu Xue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7128-9935)
- Jianbing Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2512-5055)
- Wenen Wang
- Lijun Chai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7896-3729)
- Xiaofei Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5118-7755)
- Boris Igić (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6302-8030)
- Huirong Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4447-8722)
- Fuyu Leng
- Xin Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5620-6823)
- Chunlong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4693-2925)
- Ke Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8733-0410)
- Tao Xiong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0014-0564)
- Miao Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5701-0478)
- Mannan Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9192-6537)
- Zezhen Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8991-9085)
- Jian Liu
- Boyang Tian
Institutions
- Nanjing Agricultural University (CN)
- Huazhong Agricultural University (CN)
- Field Museum of Natural History (US)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
- Northwest A&F University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2026-10-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aeg6988
- Primary Topic
- Plant Reproductive Biology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities