Heteromorphic Self-Incompatibility In Primula: Twenty-First Century Tools Promise To Unravel A Classic Nineteenth Century Model System

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Research on heteromorphic self-incompatibility systems has a long and prestigious history particularly in the Primula genus. This being said, the rise of attractive alternative model systems, coincident with the development of molecular techniques, led to a significant hiatus in this field. As a result, our comprehension of these systems at the molecular level lags dramatically behind that of several other types of self-incompatibility. The body of research on heteromorphic SI in Primula has not recently been reviewed in detail. In this article I reassess historical data regarding heteromorphic SI in Primula, attempting to update interpretations where appropriate to account for developments in our understanding of self-incompatibility systems and plant biology in general. In addition, I review recent developments, particularly at the molecular level, which, though still in their early stages, are generating tools that promise to dramatically improve our understanding of the operation of this system in the near future.