A tripartite genetic conflict system controls hybrid sterility in rice
- Xiaodong He
- Zhigang Zhao
- Kun Shao
- Xiaowen Yu
- Ying Zhu
- Jintao Tang
- Jing Li
- Yunhui Zhang
- Keyu Zhao
- Xiaoming Zheng
- Hongru Wang
- Chao Li
- Xiangchao Gan
- Xiaoou Dong
- Yulong Ren
- Yehui Xiong
- Jian Wang
- Yang Hu
- Siqi Cheng
- Bowen Yao
- Yulu Ye
- Song Guo
- Yuantao Zhu
- Ling He
- Tiaofeng Shan
- Chen Xu
- Jinxuan Xu
- Jiayu Lu
- Dekun Lei
- Anqi Jian
- Junwen Gao
- Song Cui
- Gencheng Xu
- Xiuping Guo
- Xi Liu
- Yunlu Tian
- Shijia Liu
- Ling Jiang
- Xianneng Deng
- Jiawu Zhou
- Dayun Tao
- Yonglun Zeng
- Letian Chen
- Chuanyin Wu
- Haiyang Wang
- Chaolong Wang
- Jianmin Wan
2026-08-27
Interspecific Asian–African hybrid rice could substantially boost yield but is limited by severe hybrid sterility. We identify RHS3 as a major quantitative trait locus controlling this trait. RHS3 encodes a tripartite toxin–antidote system composed of MAO, DUN, and JIA, in which MAO acts as a toxin that aborts gametes by disrupting mitochondrial function, whereas DUN and JIA function as antidotes that neutralize MAO toxicity, conferring a transmission advantage to the African allele. We demonstrate that detoxification relies on selective autophagy through formation of a tripartite JIA–DUN–MAO protein complex. We infer the de novo origin of RHS3 in the AA-genome rice lineage, illustrating a role for genetic conflict in speciation and suggesting strategies to harness heterosis between Asian and African rice.