Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2024, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (6): 999-1006.DOI: 10.11983/CBB24084  cstr: 32102.14.CBB24084

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Research Progress on Cytoplasmic Male Sterility and Fertility Restoration in Maize

Mingmin Zheng1, Qiang Huang2, Peng Zhang3, Xiaowei Liu3, Zhuofan Zhao3, Hongyang Yi3, Tingzhao Rong3, Moju Cao3,*()   

  1. 1Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Development and Utilization of Characteristic Horticultural Biological Resources, College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu 611130, China
    2Sichuan Institute of Atomic Energy, Chengdu 610101, China
    3Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
  • Received:2024-05-31 Accepted:2024-07-23 Online:2024-11-10 Published:2024-07-29
  • Contact: *E-mail: caomj@sicau.edu.cn

Abstract: Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternal genetic trait widely found in higher plants. CMS is not only a favorable material for studying the interaction between cytoplasmic and nuclear genomes, but also a crucial foundation for plant heterosis utilization. Maize is one of the most successful example for the utilization of heterosis in crops, and CMS has become a powerful tool for hybrid production to utilize heterosis in maize. Therefore, the molecular mechanism of CMS in maize has always been a research hotspot. In this paper, CMS related genes and fertility restorer genes discovered in the three major types of CMS in maize were summarized, and the problems that needed to be solved in CMS-related research and development prospects in the application of CMS in maize were discussed. This review provided theoretical reference for better understanding of the molecular mechanism of CMS in plant and the application of CMS system for hybrid seed production in the utilization of heterosis in maize.

Key words: maize, cytoplasmic male sterility, CMS genes, fertility restoration