Mitochondrial gene in the nuclear genome induces reproductive barrier in rice

Hybrid incompatibility in F₁ hybrids or later generations is often observed as sterility or inviability. This incompatibility acts as postzygotic reproductive isolation, which results in the irreversible divergence of species. Here, we show that the reciprocal loss of duplicated genes encoding mitochondrial ribosomal protein L27 causes hybrid pollen sterility in F₁ hybrids of the cultivated rice Oryza sativa and its wild relative O. glumaepatula. Functional analysis revealed that this gene is essential for the later stage of pollen development, and distribution analysis suggests that the gene duplication occurred before the divergence of the AA genome species. On the basis of these results, we discuss the possible contribution of the “founder effect” in establishing this reproductive barrier.