Fine mapping of a male sterility gene, vr1, on chromosome 4 in rice

xs1 is a male sterile rice mutant derived from a spontaneous mutation. Pollen development in the xs1 mutant proceeds normally until the vacuolation stage, at which time xs1 pollen fails to vacuolate and no viable pollen is produced. Genetic analysis indicates that the xs1 mutant phenotype is controlled by a single recessive gene, designated vacuolation retardation 1 (vr1), which was mapped to rice chromosome 4. In order to fine-map the vr1 locus, two large mapping populations were generated and several SSR and InDel markers were developed from publicly available rice genomic sequences. By employing a strategy of chromosome-walking, the vr1 gene was finally located within a genetic interval of 0.27 cM, flanked by the markers FID30 and FS15, with distances of 0.11 and 0.16 cM, respectively, and co-segregating with the marker FC4-2. Based on the japonica rice genome sequence, the vr1 locus is estimated to cover a 48-kb region containing eight putative genes. Our results will facilitate the cloning and functional characterization of the vr1 gene.