Mechanisms of Transmission Ratio Distortion at Hybrid Sterility Loci Within and Between Mimulus Species

Hybrid incompatibilities are a common correlate of genomic divergence and a potentially important contributor to reproductive isolation. However, we do not yet have a detailed understanding of how hybrid incompatibility loci function and evolve within their native species, or why they are dysfunctional in hybrids. Here, we explore these issues for a well-studied, two-locus hybrid incompatibility between hybrid male sterility 1 (hms1) and hybrid male sterility 2 (hms2) in the closely related yellow monkeyflower species Mimulus guttatus and M. nasutus. By performing reciprocal backcrosses with introgression lines, we find evidence for gametic expression of the hms1-hms2 incompatibility. Surprisingly, however, hybrid transmission ratios at hms1 do not reflect this incompatibility, suggesting additional mechanisms counteract the effects of gametic sterility. Indeed, our backcross experiment shows hybrid transmission bias toward M. guttatus through both pollen and ovules, an effect that is particularly strong when hms2 is homozygous for M. nasutus alleles. In contrast, we find little evidence for hms1 transmission bias in crosses within M. guttatus, providing no indication of selfish evolution at this locus. Although we do not yet have sufficient genetic resolution to determine if hybrid sterility and transmission ratio distortion map to the same loci, our preliminary fine-mapping uncovers a genetically independent hybrid lethality system involving at least two loci linked to hms1. This fine-scale dissection of transmission ratio distortion at hms1 and hms2 provides insight into genomic differentiation between closely related Mimulus species and reveals multiple mechanisms of hybrid dysfunction.

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