Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Site Tools

  • AAAS
  • Subscribe
  • Feedback

Site Search

Search Advanced

Science 8 August 2008:
Vol. 321. no. 5890, pp. 836 - 838
DOI: 10.1126/science.1159023
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

A Conserved Mutation in an Ethylene Biosynthesis Enzyme Leads to Andromonoecy in Melons

Adnane Boualem,1 Mohamed Fergany,1 Ronan Fernandez,1 Christelle Troadec,1 Antoine Martin,1 Halima Morin,2 Marie-Agnes Sari,3 Fabrice Collin,3 Jonathan M. Flowers,4 Michel Pitrat,5 Michael D. Purugganan,4 Catherine Dogimont,5 Abdelhafid Bendahmane1*

Andromonoecy is a widespread sexual system in angiosperms characterized by plants carrying both male and bisexual flowers. In melon, this sexual form is controlled by the identity of the alleles at the andromonoecious (a) locus. Cloning of the a gene reveals that andromonoecy results from a mutation in the active site of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase. Expression of the active enzyme inhibits the development of the male organs and is not required for carpel development. A causal single-nucleotide polymorphism associated with andromonoecy was identified, which suggests that the a allele has been under recent positive selection and may be linked to the evolution of this sexual system.

1 INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)–CNRS, UMR1165, Unité de Recherche en Génomique Végétale, 2 rue Gaston Crémieux, F-91057 Evry, France.
2 INRA, UR501, Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire, Institut Jean Pierre Bourgin, F-78026 Versailles, France.
3 CNRS, UMR 8601, Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université René Descartes, 45 Rue des Saint-Pères, F-75270 Paris Cedex 06, France.
4 Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, 100 Washington Square East, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
5 INRA, UR 1052, Unité de Génétique et d'Amélioration des Fruits et Légumes, BP 94, F-84143 Montfavet, France.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bendahm{at}evry.inra.fr

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Recent advances in ethylene research.
Z. Lin, S. Zhong, and D. Grierson (2009)
J. Exp. Bot.
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
AtTRP1 encodes a novel TPR protein that interacts with the ethylene receptor ERS1 and modulates development in Arabidopsis.
Z. Lin, C.-W. Ho, and D. Grierson (2009)
J. Exp. Bot.
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
tasselseed1 Is a Lipoxygenase Affecting Jasmonic Acid Signaling in Sex Determination of Maize.
I. F. Acosta, H. Laparra, S. P. Romero, E. Schmelz, M. Hamberg, J. P. Mottinger, M. A. Moreno, and S. L. Dellaporta (2009)
Science 323, 262-265
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)