One toxin and two protectors: A genetic conflict underlying rice hybrid sterility.

RHS3 in rice encodes a tripartite genetic conflict system with one toxic and two protective factors, linked to hybrid sterility between divergent rice species.

• Why it matters: Hybrid sterility limits the use of heterosis in rice breeding, and the genetic basis of reproductive barriers between diverging rice species is still unclear.
• What they did: He et al. identify RHS3 as a tripartite system and characterize it as containing one toxic factor plus two protective factors.
• The result: The findings show that genetic conflict can evolve into a reproductive barrier, informing how hybrid sterility arises in diverging rice species.

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