SELF-INCOMPATIBILITY IN FLOWERING PLANTS

Fertilization in flowering plants begins with a pollen grain bearing t he male gametes landing on the female stigma. Several mechanisms enabl e the stigma to discriminate between the different types of pollen tha t it may receive, of which the best studied is self-incompatibility. T he molecules that regulate self-incompatibility are well characterized in two plant families, the Solanaceae and Brassicaceae. This list has recently been extended to include candidates for self-incompatibility molecules from the Rosaceae, Papaveraceae and Poaceae. The informatio n provided by the sequences of these molecules gives insight into the mechanisms and evolution of self-incompatibility in the different fami lies of flowering plants.