Molecular mechanisms of self-recognition in Brassica self-incompatibility

Plants have mechanisms to promote outbreeding and thereby to increase their genetic diversity. In species that are self-incompatible, self-pollen is rejected by the stigma. This mechanism has been the subject of intense study for many years and, in the past two years, significant progress has been made in identifying the genes involved in Brassica. Self-recognition involves two genes, one of which determines the male and the other the female specificity. Considerable progress has also been made on the mechanism by which self-recognition leads to pollen rejection, although the delineation of all the genes involved is still not complete.