Publication Date:
2008-03-22
Description:
Hermaphroditic organisms avoid inbreeding by a system of self-incompatibility (SI). A primitive chordate (ascidian) Ciona intestinalis is an example of such an organism, but the molecular mechanism underlying its SI system is not known. Here, we show that the SI system is governed by two gene loci that act cooperatively. Each locus contains a tightly linked pair of polycystin 1-related receptor (s-Themis) and fibrinogen-like ligand (v-Themis) genes, the latter of which is located in the first intron of s-Themis but transcribed in the opposite direction. These genes may encode male- and female-side self-recognition molecules. The SI system of C. intestinalis has a similar framework to that of flowering plants but utilizing different molecules.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Harada, Yoshito -- Takagaki, Yuhei -- Sunagawa, Masahiko -- Saito, Takako -- Yamada, Lixy -- Taniguchi, Hisaaki -- Shoguchi, Eiichi -- Sawada, Hitoshi -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2008 Apr 25;320(5875):548-50. doi: 10.1126/science.1152488. Epub 2008 Mar 20.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Sugashima Marine Biological Laboratory, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Sugashima, Toba 517-0004, Japan. yharada@bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18356489" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Amino Acid Sequence
;
Animals
;
Base Sequence
;
Ciona intestinalis/*genetics/*physiology
;
Disorders of Sex Development
;
Female
;
Fertility
;
Fertilization
;
*Genes
;
Male
;
Molecular Sequence Data
;
Ovum/metabolism/physiology
;
Spermatozoa/physiology
;
*TRPP Cation Channels/chemistry
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
Permalink