Abstract
A male-specific amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker was identified in the functionally dioecious fig species, Ficus fulva. A total of 89 polymorphic fragments from three primer combinations were produced, of which one (246 bp) was present in all males (n=23) and absent in all females (n=24) of two populations. This strong association suggests a tight chromosomal linkage between the AFLP marker and the sex-controlling locus. Further analysis indicated that the marker segregated in open-pollinated progenies from natural populations in a 1:1 ratio (n=156), implying that males are the heterogametic sex. Chromosome preparations showed no evidence for morphologically distinct sex chromosomes. The low frequencies of associated markers argue against a morphologically cryptic non-recombining sex chromosome. The sex-locus is therefore likely to be autosomal. The male-specific AFLP marker was sequenced and converted into a sequence characterised amplified region (SCAR) marker. This SCAR marker produced a fragment of equal size in males and females, suggesting that sequence divergence between male- and female-specific chromosomal regions is low.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge Hans de Jong and Henny Verhaar (University of Wageningen, the Netherlands) for the cytogenetic analyses, Piet Stam (University of Wageningen, the Netherlands) for statistical advice and Sophie Ahmed (University of Leeds, UK) for sequencing the male-specific AFLP fragment.
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Parrish, T.L., Koelewijn, H.P. & van Dijk, P.J. Identification of a male-specific AFLP marker in a functionally dioecious fig, Ficus fulva Reinw. ex Bl. (Moraceae). Sex Plant Reprod 17, 17–22 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00497-004-0208-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00497-004-0208-x