Mapping and Identifying a Candidate Gene () for Female-Male Sterility through Whole-Genome Resequencing and RNA-Seq in Rapeseed ( L.).

In oilseed crops, carpel and stamen development play vital roles in pollination and rapeseed yield, but the genetic mechanisms underlying carpel and stamen development remain unclear. Herein, a male- and female-sterile mutant was obtained in offspring of a ( cv. Qingyou 14) × (Qingyou 14 × landrace Dahuang) cross. Subsequently, F-F populations were generated through selfing of the heterozygote plants among the progeny of each generation. The male- and female-sterility exhibited stable inheritance in successive generations and was controlled by a recessive gene. The mutant kept the same chromosome number (2 = 38) as parent but showed abnormal meiosis for male and female. One candidate gene for the sterility was identified by simple sequence repeat (SSR) and insertion deletion length polymorphism (InDel) markers in F-F plants, and whole-genome resequencing with F pools and RNA sequencing with F pools. Whole-genome resequencing found three candidate intervals (35.40-35.68, 35.74-35.75, and 45.34-46.45 Mb) on chromosome C3 in and candidate region for was narrowed to approximately 1.11-Mb (45.34-46.45 M) by combining SSR and InDel marker analyses with whole-genome resequencing. From transcriptome profiling in 0-2 mm buds, all of the genes in the candidate interval were detected, and only two genes with significant differences (BnaC03g56670D and BnaC03g56870D) were revealed. BnaC03g56870D was a candidate gene that shared homology with the gene of . Quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR analysis showed that primarily functioned in flower buds. Thus, sequencing and expression analyses provided evidence that BnaC03g56870D was the candidate gene for male and female sterility in the mutant.