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Runge JN, Kokko H, Lindholm AK. Selfish migrants: How a meiotic driver is selected to increase dispersal. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:621-632. [PMID: 35255164 PMCID: PMC9311743 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Meiotic drivers are selfish genetic elements that manipulate meiosis to increase their transmission to the next generation to the detriment of the rest of the genome. One example is the t haplotype in house mice, which is a naturally occurring meiotic driver with deleterious traits—poor fitness in polyandrous matings and homozygote inviability or infertility—that prevent its fixation. Recently, we discovered and validated a novel effect of t in a long‐term field study on free‐living wild house mice and with experiments: t‐carriers are more likely to disperse. Here, we ask what known traits of the t haplotype can select for a difference in dispersal between t‐carriers and wildtype mice. To that end, we built individual‐based models with dispersal loci on the t and the homologous wildtype chromosomes. We also allow for density‐dependent expression of these loci. The t haplotype consistently evolves to increase the dispersal propensity of its carriers, particularly at high densities. By examining variants of the model that modify different costs caused by t, we show that the increase in dispersal is driven by the deleterious traits of t, disadvantage in polyandrous matings and lethal homozygosity or male sterility. Finally, we show that an increase in driver‐carrier dispersal can evolve across a range of values in driver strength and disadvantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Niklas Runge
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna K Lindholm
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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2
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Greenbaum G, Feldman MW, Rosenberg NA, Kim J. Designing gene drives to limit spillover to non-target populations. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009278. [PMID: 33630838 PMCID: PMC7943199 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The prospect of utilizing CRISPR-based gene-drive technology for controlling populations has generated much excitement. However, the potential for spillovers of gene-drive alleles from the target population to non-target populations has raised concerns. Here, using mathematical models, we investigate the possibility of limiting spillovers to non-target populations by designing differential-targeting gene drives, in which the expected equilibrium gene-drive allele frequencies are high in the target population but low in the non-target population. We find that achieving differential targeting is possible with certain configurations of gene-drive parameters, but, in most cases, only under relatively low migration rates between populations. Under high migration, differential targeting is possible only in a narrow region of the parameter space. Because fixation of the gene drive in the non-target population could severely disrupt ecosystems, we outline possible ways to avoid this outcome. We apply our model to two potential applications of gene drives—field trials for malaria-vector gene drives and control of invasive species on islands. We discuss theoretical predictions of key requirements for differential targeting and their practical implications. CRISPR-based gene drive is an emerging genetic engineering technology that enables engineered genetic variants, which are usually designed to be harmful to the organism carrying them, to be spread rapidly in populations. Although this technology is promising for controlling disease vectors and invasive species, there is a considerable risk that a gene drive could unintentionally spillover from the target population, where it was deployed, to non-target populations. We develop mathematical models of gene-drive dynamics that incorporate migration between target and non-target populations to investigate the possibility of effectively applying a gene drive in the target population while limiting its spillover to non-target populations (‘differential targeting’). We observe that the feasibility of differential targeting depends on the gene-drive design specification, as well as on the migration rates between the populations. Even when differential targeting is possible, as migration increases, the possibility for differential targeting disappears. We find that differential targeting can be effective for low migration rates, and that it is sensitive to the design of the gene drive under high migration rates. We suggest that differential targeting could be used, in combination with other mitigation measures, as an additional safeguard to limit gene drive spillovers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gili Greenbaum
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - Marcus W. Feldman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Noah A. Rosenberg
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Jaehee Kim
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
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I Am a Compassionate Conservation Welfare Scientist: Considering the Theoretical and Practical Differences Between Compassionate Conservation and Conservation Welfare. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10020257. [PMID: 32041150 PMCID: PMC7070475 DOI: 10.3390/ani10020257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Compassionate Conservation and Conservation Welfare are two disciplines whose practitioners advocate consideration of individual wild animals within conservation practice and policy. However, they are not, as is sometimes suggested, the same. Compassionate Conservation and Conservation Welfare are based on different underpinning ethics, which sometimes leads to conflicting views about the kinds of conservation activities and decisions that are acceptable. Key differences between the disciplines appear to relate to their views about which wild animals can experience harms, the kinds of harms they can experience and how we can know about and confidently evidence those harms. Conservation Welfare scientists seek to engage with conservation scientists with the aim of facilitating ongoing incremental improvements in all aspects of conservation, i.e., minimizing harms to animals. In contrast, it is currently unclear how the tenets of Compassionate Conservation can be used to guide decision-making in complex or novel situations. Thus, Conservation Welfare may offer modern conservationists a more palatable approach to integrating evidence-based consideration of individual sentient animals into conservation practice and policy.
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Manser A, Cornell SJ, Sutter A, Blondel DV, Serr M, Godwin J, Price TAR. Controlling invasive rodents via synthetic gene drive and the role of polyandry. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190852. [PMID: 31431159 PMCID: PMC6732378 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
House mice are a major ecosystem pest, particularly threatening island ecosystems as a non-native invasive species. Rapid advances in synthetic biology offer new avenues to control pest species for biodiversity conservation. Recently, a synthetic sperm-killing gene drive construct called t-Sry has been proposed as a means to eradicate target mouse populations owing to a lack of females. A factor that has received little attention in the discussion surrounding such drive applications is polyandry. Previous research has demonstrated that sperm-killing drivers are extremely damaging to a male's sperm competitive ability. Here, we examine the importance of this effect on the t-Sry system using a theoretical model. We find that polyandry substantially hampers the spread of t-Sry such that release efforts have to be increased three- to sixfold for successful eradication. We discuss the implications of our finding for potential pest control programmes, the risk of drive spread beyond the target population, and the emergence of drive resistance. Our work highlights that a solid understanding of the forces that determine drive dynamics in a natural setting is key for successful drive application, and that exploring the natural diversity of gene drives may inform effective gene drive design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andri Manser
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Liverpool, UK
| | - Stephen J. Cornell
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Liverpool, UK
| | - Andreas Sutter
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Dimitri V. Blondel
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA
| | - Megan Serr
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA
| | - John Godwin
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA
| | - Tom A. R. Price
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Liverpool, UK
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Runge JN, Lindholm AK. Carrying a selfish genetic element predicts increased migration propensity in free-living wild house mice. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181333. [PMID: 30282651 PMCID: PMC6191700 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Life is built on cooperation between genes, which makes it vulnerable to parasitism. Selfish genetic elements that exploit this cooperation can achieve large fitness gains by increasing their transmission relative to the rest of the genome. This leads to counter-adaptations that generate unique selection pressures on the selfish genetic element. This arms race is similar to host-parasite coevolution, as some multi-host parasites alter the host's behaviour to increase the chance of transmission to the next host. Here, we ask if, similarly to these parasites, a selfish genetic element in house mice, the t haplotype, also manipulates host behaviour, specifically the host's migration propensity. Variants of the t that manipulate migration propensity could increase in fitness in a meta-population. We show that juvenile mice carrying the t haplotype were more likely to emigrate from and were more often found as migrants within a long-term free-living house mouse population. This result may have applied relevance as the t has been proposed as a basis for artificial gene drive systems for use in population control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Niklas Runge
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna K Lindholm
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Manser A, Lindholm AK, Weissing FJ. The evolution of costly mate choice against segregation distorters. Evolution 2017; 71:2817-2828. [PMID: 29071709 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of female preference for male genetic quality remains a controversial topic in sexual selection research. One well-known problem, known as the lek paradox, lies in understanding how variation in genetic quality is maintained in spite of natural selection and sexual selection against low-quality alleles. Here, we theoretically investigate a scenario where females pay a direct fitness cost to avoid males carrying an autosomal segregation distorter. We show that preference evolution is greatly facilitated under such circumstances. Because the distorter is transmitted in a non-Mendelian fashion, it can be maintained in the population despite directional sexual selection. The preference helps females avoid fitness costs associated with the distorter. Interestingly, we find that preference evolution is limited if the choice allele induces a very strong preference or if distortion is very strong. Moreover, the preference can only persist in the presence of a signal that reliably indicates a male's distorter genotype. Hence, even in a system where the lek paradox does not play a major role, costly preferences can only spread under specific circumstances. We discuss the importance of distorter systems for the evolution of costly female choice and potential implications for the use of artificial distorters in pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andri Manser
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool, United Kingdom.,Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna K Lindholm
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz J Weissing
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Interest in developing gene drive systems to control invasive species is growing, with New Zealand reportedly considering the nascent technology as a way to locally eliminate the mammalian pests that threaten its unique flora and fauna. If gene drives successfully eradicated these invasive populations, many would rejoice, but what are the possible consequences? Here, we explore the risk of accidental spread posed by self-propagating gene drive technologies, highlight new gene drive designs that might achieve better outcomes, and explain why we need open and international discussions concerning a technology that could have global ramifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M. Esvelt
- MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Neil J. Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Dearden PK, Gemmell NJ, Mercier OR, Lester PJ, Scott MJ, Newcomb RD, Buckley TR, Jacobs JME, Goldson SG, Penman DR. The potential for the use of gene drives for pest control in New Zealand: a perspective. J R Soc N Z 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2017.1385030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter K. Dearden
- Genomics Aotearoa, Bioprotection Research Centre, and Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Neil J. Gemmell
- Anatomy Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Ocean R. Mercier
- Te Kawa a Māui—School of Māori Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Philip J. Lester
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Maxwell J. Scott
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA
| | - Richard D. Newcomb
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Thomas R. Buckley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Landcare Research Ltd, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Jeanne M. E. Jacobs
- AgResearch, Lincoln Research Centre, Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Bioprotection Research Centre, Lincoln University, Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Stephen G. Goldson
- Bioprotection Research Centre, Lincoln University, Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand
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Kanavy D, Serr M. Sry Gene Drive for Rodent Control: Reply to Gemmell and Tompkins. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:315-316. [PMID: 28389104 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dona Kanavy
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Megan Serr
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
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