SUPPRESSOR OF SESSILE SPIKELETS1 (SOS1) - A DOMINANT MUTANT AFFECTING INFLORESCENCE DEVELOPMENT IN MAIZE

Suppressor of sessile spikelets1 (Sos1) is a dominant mutant of maize that blocks branching of the spikelet-pair primordium to form the sessile spikelet during ear development. As a result, Sos1 mutant ears and tassels possess single spikelets as opposed to the normal condition of paired spikelets, one sessile and the other pedicellate. Sos1 also causes a reduction in the number of tassel branches and the number of orthostichies (or cupule ranks) in the ear. The sos1 genetic locus maps to the short arm of maize chromosome 4. The Sos1 single spikelet phenotype appears similar to the single spikelet phenotype found in teosinte, the probable progenitor of maize. This similarity invites the hypothesis that sos1 had a role in the evolution of maize from teosinte. However, genetic mapping data and a comparison of the developmental basis of the single spikelet condition in the Sos1 mutant and teosinte demonstrate that their similar phenotypes result from distinct genetic-developmental mechanisms. These results indicate that sos1 was not involved in the evolution of maize and caution against drawing conclusions of homology based solely on similar adult phenotypes.