Brassica napus Raw sequence reads

Genic male sterility (GMS), an efficient pollination control system, has been extensively used in hybrid rapeseed production. TE5A is a novel thermo-sensitive dominant GMS line in Brassica napus. Cytological analysis and histological analysis of paraffin-cross sections of anthers showed that TE5A mutant possessed defects in the meiotic division and cytokinesis of pollen mother cells (PMCs), and callose degradation. However, the molecular mechanisms of GMS remain elusive. Therefore, we analyzed the transcriptome differences between young floral buds of sterile plants (A1) and its near-isogenic fertile plants (B1) from the BC3 population of a backcross between the novel GMS line TE5A sterile plants and the B. napus maintainer line GY12 by using RNA-Seq to identify critical genes and pathways associated with male sterility. RNA-Seq analysis identified a total of 3,841 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), some of which were associated with homologous chromosome behavior, cell cycle, cytokinesis, and callose dissolution during meiosis. These DEGs represented a set of potential candidate genes associated with GMS in a novel TE5A sterile line. The present study provided a global assessment of the differences between GMS sterile plants and its near-isogenic fertile plants, as well as identified new fertility-associated genes and elucidated the mechanisms of GMS.