A codominant SCAR marker linked to the genic male sterility gene (ms1) in chili pepper (Capsicum annuum)

Abstract

As one of the genic male sterility (GMS) materials in chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), GMS1 has been used for commercial F1 hybrid seed production. The male sterility of GMS1 is controlled by a recessive nuclear gene, named ms1. In this study, we developed DNA markers linked to the ms1 locus using a combination of bulked segregant analysis and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) in a segregating sibling population. From the screening of 1024 AFLP primer combinations, the AFLP marker E-AGC/M-GTG (514 bp) was identified as being linked to the ms1 locus at a distance of about 3 cM. Based on internal sequencing analysis of the E-AGC/M-GTG marker between male fertile and sterile plants, we identified three small deletions with a size of altogether 42 bp in the male-fertile plant and developed a codominant sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker. This SCAR marker may be valuable for marker-assisted breeding in the hybrid seed production system of chili pepper using the GMS1 line. © 2009 Pepper and Breeding Institute.