Genetical and molecular analysis reveals a cooperating relationship between cytoplasmic male sterility- and fertility restoration-related genes in Oryza species.

Although the characterization of genes associated with cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and fertility restoration (Rf) has been well documented, the evolutionary relationship between nuclear Rf and CMS factors in mitochondria in Oryza species is still less understood. Here, 41 accessions from 7 Oryza species with AA genome were employed for analyzing the evolutionary relationships between the CMS factors and Rf candidates on chromosome 10. The phylogenetic tree based on restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns of CMS-associated mitochondrial genes showed that these 41 Oryza accessions fell into 3 distinct groups. Another phylogenetic tree based on PCR profiles of the nuclear Rf candidates on chromosome 10 was also established, and three groups were distinctively grouped. The accessions in each subgroup/group of the two phylogenetic trees are well parallel to each other. Furthermore, the 41 investigated accessions were test-crossed with Honglian (gametophytic type) and Wild-abortive (sporophytic type) CMS, and 5 groups were classified according to their restoring ability. The accessions in the same subgroup of the two phylogenetic trees shared similar fertility restoring pattern. Therefore, we conclude that the CMS-associated mitotypes are compatible to the Rf candidate-related nucleotypes, CMS and Rf have a parallel evolutionary relation in the Oryza species.