Does a novel class of small RNA molecules control self-incompatibility in solanaceous plants?

自交不亲和是一种简单的基因定义的细胞识别系统，可以防止许多植物物种的近亲繁殖。自交不亲和植物的花可以区分自体花粉和外来花粉，并且只允许外来花粉使它们的卵细胞受精。这项提议将调查控制花粉识别的遗传自交不亲和基因的一部分是一种新型基因的可能性，该基因编码一个小RNA分子，但不编码蛋白质。通过研究自交不亲和基因获得的知识将帮助我们理解植物细胞如何相互识别，并可能使我们能够操纵种子(因此也就是作物)生产。

Self-incompatibility is a simple and genetically defined cell recognition system that prevents inbreeding in many plant species. Flowers of self-incompatible plants can distinguish self pollen from foreign pollen, and allow only foreign pollen to fertilise their egg cells. This proposal will investigate the possibility that the part of the genetic self-incompatibility locus controlling recognition of pollen is a novel type of gene that encodes a small RNA molecule but no protein. Knowledge gained by studying the self-incompatibility genes will help us to understand how plant cells recognise each other, and may allow us to manipulate seed (and hence crop) production.