Genetics of sex determination in flowering plants

Abstract

Abstract Most flowering plant species are hermaphroditic, but a small number of species in most plant families are unisexual (i.e., an individ‐ual will produce only male or female gametes). Because species with unisexual flowers have evolved repeatedly from hermaphroditic progenitors, the mechanisms controlling sex determination in flowering plants are extremely diverse. Sex is most strongly determined by genotype in all species but the mechanisms range from a single controlling locus to sex chromosomes bearing several linked locirequired for sex determination. Plant hormones also influence sex expression with variable effects from species to species. Here, we review the genetic control of sex determination from a number of plant species to illustrate the variety of extant mechanisms. We emphasize species that are now used as models to investigate the molecular biology of sex determination. We also present our own investigations of the structure of plant sex chromosomes of white campion (Silene latifolia ‐ Melan‐drium album). The cytogenetic basis of sex determination in white campion is similar to mammals in that it has a male‐specific Y‐chromosome that carries dominant male determining genes. If one copy of this chromosome is in the genome, the plant is male. Otherwise it is female. Like mammalian Y‐chromosomes, the white campion Y‐chromosome is rich in repetitive DNA. We isolated repetitive sequences from microdissected Y‐chromosomes of white campion to study the distribution of homologous repeated sequences on the Y‐chromosome and the other chromosomes. We found the Y to be especially rich in repetitive sequences that were generally dispersed over all the white campion chromosomes. Despite its repetitive character, the Y‐chromosome is mainly euchromatic. This may be due to the relatively recent evolution of the white campion sex chromosomes compared to the sex chromosomes of animals. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.