Evolution of the Brassicaceae-specific MS5-Like family and neofunctionalization of the novel MALE STERILITY 5 gene essential for male fertility in Brassica napus.
BnMS5 belongs to a Brassicaceae-specific new gene family, and has gained a novel function that is essential for male fertility in B. napus through neofunctionalization that has likely occurred since the origin of B. rapa.
The male fertility-associated function of BnMS5 alleles/homologs depended on the dimer of BnMS5 that are likely dosage-dependent in B. napus.
These results revealed that the BnMS5c allele contributes to fertility in B. napus, but the MS5II-1 and MS5II-2 genes could not rescue the defects of MS5b in male fertility.
