An investigation of self-incompatibility within the genus Restrepia

Gametophytic self-incompatibility in Maxillariinae orchids

Gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) has been mainly described in species-rich clades within Orchidaceae. We report GSI for a genus within Maxillariinae, one of the most conspicuous and diverse subtribes of neotropical orchids. Here, we describe the reproductive system of Brasiliorchis picta, B. phoenicanthera, and B. porphyrostele. Anatomical studies of fruit development showed that pollen tubes of aborted, self-pollinated flowers degenerate half-way in the stylar channel and never reach the ovules. Spontaneous self-pollination and emasculation set no fruits for none of the sampled species, thus supporting the hypothesis that these three species studied rely on the agency of pollinators and pollinator-mediated cross-pollination to set fruit. Fruit set from cross-pollinations ranged from 33.4 to 77.5%. One self-pollinated fruit of B. porphyrostele developed to completion. All other fruits aborted between 10 and 21 days after pollination. These data support previous evidence of variable strength GSI being exhibited in orchid species. Additional studies of self-incompatibility systems are needed to evaluate their role in species diversification and evolution of reproductive strategies in Maxillariinae and to allow for effective conservation strategies of threatened orchid species.

Challenges and Perspectives in the Study of Self-Incompatibility in Orchids

Self-incompatibility affects not only the formation of seeds, but also the evolution of species diversity. A robust understanding of the molecular mechanisms of self-incompatibility is essential for breeding efforts, as well as conservation biology research. In recent years, phenotypic and multiple omics studies have revealed that self-incompatibility in Orchidaceae is mainly concentrated in the subfamily Epidendroideae, and the self-incompatibility phenotypes are diverse, even in the same genus, and hormones (auxin and ethylene), and new male and female determinants might be involved in SI response. This work provides a good foundation for future studies of the evolution and molecular mechanisms of self-incompatibility. We review recent research progress on self-incompatibility in orchids at the morphological, physiological, and molecular levels, provide a general overview of self-incompatibility in orchids, and propose future research directions.

Cytological Observation and Transcriptome Comparative Analysis of Self-Pollination and Cross-Pollination in Dendrobium Officinale

Dendrobium officinale is a rare and traditional medicinal plant with high pharmacological and nutritional value. The self-incompatibility mechanism of D. officinale reproductive isolation was formed in the long-term evolution process, but intraspecific hybridization of different germplasm resources leads to a large gap in the yield, quality, and medicinal value of D. officinale. To investigate the biological mechanism of self-incompatibility in D. officinale, cytological observation and the transcriptome analysis was carried out on the samples of self-pollination and cross-pollination in D. officinale. Results for self-pollination showed that the pollen tubes could grow in the style at 2 h, but most of pollen tubes stopped growing at 4 h, while a large number of cross-pollinated pollen tubes grew along the placental space to the base of ovary, indicating that the self-incompatibility of D. officinale may be gametophyte self-incompatibility. A total of 63.41 G basesum of D. officinale style samples from non-pollinated, self-pollination, and cross-pollination by RNA-seq were obtained, and a total of 1944, 1758, and 475 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the comparison of CK (non-pollinated) vs. HF (cross-pollination sample), CK vs. SF (self-pollination sample) and SF vs. HF were identified, respectively. Forty-one candidate genes related to self-incompatibility were found by function annotation of DEGs, including 6 Ca²⁺ signal genes, 4 armed repeat containing (ARC) related genes, 11 S-locus receptor kinase (SRK) related genes, 2 Exo70 family genes, 9 ubiquitin related genes, 1 fatty acid related gene, 6 amino acid-related genes, 1 pollen-specific leucine-rich repeat extensin-like protein (LRX) related gene and 1 lectin receptor-like kinases (RLKs) related gene, showed that self-incompatibility mechanism of D. officinale involves the interaction of multiple genes and pathways. The results can provide a basis for the study of the self-incompatibility mechanism of D. officinale, and provide ideas for the preservation and utilization of high-quality resources of D. officinale.

Two Self-Incompatibility Sites Occur Simultaneously in the Same Acianthera Species (Orchidaceae, Pleurothallidinae)

In most species of Pleurothallidinae, the self-incompatibility site occurs in the stylar canal inside the column, which is typical of gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI). However, in some species of Acianthera, incompatible pollen tubes with anomalous morphology reach the ovary, as those are obstructed in the column. We investigated if a distinct self-incompatibility (SI) system is acting on the ovary of A. johannensis, which is a species with partial self-incompatibility, contrasting with a full SI species, A. fabiobarrosii. We analyzed the morphology and development of pollen tubes in the column, ovary, and fruit using light, epifluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy. Our results show that the main reaction site in A. johannensis is in the stylar canal inside the column, which was also recorded in A. fabiobarrosii. Morphological and cytological characteristics of the pollen tubes with obstructed growth in the column indicated a process of programmed cell death in these tubes, showing a possible GSI reaction. In addition, partially self-incompatible individuals of A. johannensis exhibit a second SI site in the ovary. We suggest that this self-incompatibility site in the ovary is only an extension of GSI that acts in the column, differing from the typical late-acting self-incompatibility system recorded in other plant groups.

Morphological Type Identification of Self-Incompatibility in Dendrobium and Its Phylogenetic Evolution Pattern

Self-incompatibility (SI) is a type of reproductive barrier within plant species and is one of the mechanisms for the formation and maintenance of the high diversity and adaptation of angiosperm species. Approximately 40% of flowering plants are SI species, while only 10% of orchid species are self-incompatible. Intriguingly, as one of the largest genera in Orchidaceae, 72% of Dendrobium species are self-incompatible, accounting for nearly half of the reported SI species in orchids, suggesting that SI contributes to the high diversity of orchid species. However, few studies investigating SI in Dendrobium have been published. This study aimed to address the following questions: (1) How many SI phenotypes are in Dendrobium, and what are they? (2) What is their distribution pattern in the Dendrobium phylogenetic tree? We investigated the flowering time, the capsule set rate, and the pollen tube growth from the representative species of Dendrobium after artificial pollination and analysed their distribution in the Asian Dendrobium clade phylogenetic tree. The number of SI phenotypes exceeded our expectations. The SI type of Dendrobium chrysanthum was the primary type in the Dendrobium SI species. We speculate that there are many different SI determinants in Dendrobium that have evolved recently and might be specific to Dendrobium or Orchidaceae. Overall, this work provides new insights and a comprehensive understanding of Dendrobium SI.

Lack of S-RNase-Based Gametophytic Self-Incompatibility in Orchids Suggests That This System Evolved after the Monocot-Eudicot Split

Self-incompatibility (SI) is found in approximately 40% of flowering plant species and at least 100 families. Although orchids belong to the largest angiosperm family, only 10% of orchid species present SI and have gametophytic SI (GSI). Furthermore, a majority (72%) of Dendrobium species, which constitute one of the largest Orchidaceae genera, show SI and have GSI. However, nothing is known about the molecular mechanism of GSI. The S-determinants of GSI have been well characterized at the molecular level in Solanaceae, Rosaceae, and Plantaginaceae, which use an S-ribonuclease (S-RNase)-based system. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that Orchidaceae uses a similar S-RNase to those described in Rosaceae, Solanaceae, and Plantaginaceae SI species. In this study, two SI species (Dendrobium longicornu and D. chrysanthum) were identified using fluorescence microscopy. Then, the S-RNase- and SLF-interacting SKP1-like1 (SSK1)-like genes present in their transcriptomes and the genomes of Phalaenopsis equestris, D. catenatum, Vanilla shenzhenica, and Apostasia shenzhenica were investigated. Sequence, phylogenetic, and tissue-specific expression analyses revealed that none of the genes identified was an S-determinant, suggesting that Orchidaceae might have a novel SI mechanism. The results also suggested that RNase-based GSI might have evolved after the split of monocotyledons (monocots) and dicotyledons (dicots) but before the split of Asteridae and Rosidae. This is also the first study to investigate S-RNase-based GSI in monocots. However, studies on gene identification, differential expression, and segregation analyses in controlled crosses are needed to further evaluate the genes with high expression levels in GSI tissues.