Development of a CMS-specific marker based on chloroplast-derived mitochondrial sequence in pepper

Molecular markers developed from the flanking sequences of two cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)-associated genes, orf456 and ${\Psi}atp6-2$, have been used for marker-assisted selection of CMS in pepper. However, in practice, the presence of orf456 and ${\Psi}atp6-2$ at substoichiometric levels even in maintainer lines hampers reliable selection of plants containing the CMS gene. In this study, we developed a novel CMS-specific molecular marker, accD-U, for reliable determination of CMS lines in pepper, and used the newly and previously developed markers to determine the cytoplasm types of pepper breeding lines and germplasms. This marker was developed from a deletion in a chloroplast-derived sequence in the mitochondrial genome of a CMS pepper line. CMS pepper lines could be unambiguously determined by presence or absence of the accD-U marker band. Application of orf456, ${\Psi}atp6-2$and accD-U to various pepper breeding lines and germplasms revealed that accD-U is the most reliable CMS selection marker. A wide distribution of orf456, but not ${\Psi}atp6-2$, in germplasms suggests that the pepper cytoplasm containing both orf456 and ${\Psi}atp6-2$ has been selected as CMS cytoplasm from cytoplasm containing only orf456. Furthermore, factors other than orf456 may be required for the regulation of male sterility in pepper.