1
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Liang J, Kang L, Michalak P, Sharakhov IV. Hybridization between Aedes aegypti and Aedes mascarensis mosquitoes leads to disruption of male sex determination. Commun Biol 2024; 7:886. [PMID: 39039226 PMCID: PMC11263339 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06560-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the sex determination pathway and its disruptions in mosquitoes is critical for the effective control of disease vectors through genetic manipulations based on sex separation. When male hybrids of Aedes aegypti females and Ae. mascarensis males are backcrossed to Ae. aegypti females, a portion of the backcross progeny manifests as males with abnormal sexual differentiation. We discovered a significant correlation between pupal abnormalities and the feminization of subsequent adults exemplified by the relative abundance of ovarian and testicular tissues. All intersex individuals were genetic males as they expressed a male determining factor, Nix. Further, our analysis of the sex-specific splicing of doublesex and fruitless transcripts demonstrated the presence of both male and female splice variants indicating that sex determination is disrupted. A comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed similar expression levels of most female-associated genes in reproductive organs and carcasses between intersexual males and normal females. Moreover, intersexes had largely normal gene expression in testes but significant gene downregulation in male accessory glands when compared with normal males. We conclude that evolving hybrid incompatibilities between Ae. aegypti and Ae. mascarensis involve disruption of sex determination and are accompanied by changes in gene expression associated with sexual differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Liang
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Department of Biomedical Research, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA, USA
- College of Pharmacy, University of Louisiana Monroe, Monroe, LA, USA
- Center for One Health Research, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Department of Biomedical Research, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA, USA
- Center for One Health Research, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia.
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2
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McNamara CJ, Ant TH, Harvey-Samuel T, White-Cooper H, Martinez J, Alphey L, Sinkins SP. Transgenic expression of cif genes from Wolbachia strain wAlbB recapitulates cytoplasmic incompatibility in Aedes aegypti. Nat Commun 2024; 15:869. [PMID: 38287029 PMCID: PMC10825118 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45238-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia can invade insect populations by modifying host reproduction through cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), an effect that results in embryonic lethality when Wolbachia-carrying males mate with Wolbachia-free females. Here we describe a transgenic system for recreating CI in the major arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti using CI factor (cif) genes from wAlbB, a Wolbachia strain currently being deployed to reduce dengue transmission. CI-like sterility is induced when cifA and cifB are co-expressed in testes; this sterility is rescued by maternal cifA expression, thereby reproducing the pattern of Wolbachia-induced CI. Expression of cifB alone is associated with extensive DNA damage and disrupted spermatogenesis. The strength of rescue by maternal cifA expression is dependent on the comparative levels of cifA/cifB expression in males. These findings are consistent with CifB acting as a toxin and CifA as an antitoxin, with CifA attenuating CifB toxicity in both the male germline and in developing embryos. These findings provide important insights into the interactions between cif genes and their mechanism of activity and provide a foundation for the building of a cif gene-based drive system in Ae. aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron J McNamara
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Thomas H Ant
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Tim Harvey-Samuel
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
| | - Helen White-Cooper
- Molecular Biosciences Division, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Julien Martinez
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Luke Alphey
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
- The Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Steven P Sinkins
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK.
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3
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Weng SC, Antoshechkin I, Marois E, Akbari OS. Efficient sex separation by exploiting differential alternative splicing of a dominant marker in Aedes aegypti. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1011065. [PMID: 38011259 PMCID: PMC10703412 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Only female mosquitoes consume blood giving them the opportunity to transmit deadly human pathogens. Therefore, it is critical to remove females before conducting releases for genetic biocontrol interventions. Here we describe a robust sex-sorting approach termed SEPARATOR (Sexing Element Produced by Alternative RNA-splicing of A Transgenic Observable Reporter) that exploits sex-specific alternative splicing of an innocuous reporter to ensure exclusive dominant male-specific expression. Using SEPARATOR, we demonstrate reliable sex selection from early larval and pupal stages in Aedes aegypti, and use a Complex Object Parametric Analyzer and Sorter (COPAS) to demonstrate scalable high-throughput sex-selection of first instar larvae. Additionally, we use this approach to sequence the transcriptomes of early larval males and females and find several genes that are sex-specifically expressed. SEPARATOR can simplify mass production of males for release programs and is designed to be cross-species portable and should be instrumental for genetic biocontrol interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Che Weng
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Eric Marois
- CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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4
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Häcker I, Rehling T, Schlosser H, Mayorga-Ch D, Heilig M, Yan Y, Armbruster PA, Schetelig MF. Improved piggyBac Transformation with Capped Transposase mRNA in Pest Insects. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15155. [PMID: 37894833 PMCID: PMC10606561 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Creating transgenic insects is a key technology in insect genetics and molecular biology. A widely used instrument in insect transgenesis is the piggyBac transposase, resulting in essentially random genomic integrations. In contrast, site-specific recombinases allow the targeted integration of the transgene construct into a specific genomic target site. Both strategies, however, often face limitations due to low transgenesis efficiencies. We aimed to enhance transgenesis efficiencies by utilizing capped mRNA as a source of transposase or recombinase instead of a helper plasmid. A systematic comparison of transgenesis efficiencies in Aedes mosquitoes, as models for hard-to-transform insects, showed that suppling piggyBac transposase as mRNA increased the average transformation efficiency in Aedes aegypti from less than 5% with the plasmid source to about 50% with mRNA. Similar high activity was observed in Ae. albopictus with pBac mRNA. No efficiency differences between plasmid and mRNA were observed in recombination experiments. Furthermore, a hyperactive version of piggyBac transposase delivered as a plasmid did not improve the transformation efficiency in Ae. aegypti or the agricultural pest Drosophila suzukii. We believe that the use of mRNA has strong potential for enhancing piggyBac transformation efficiencies in other mosquitoes and important agricultural pests, such as tephritids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Häcker
- Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany (H.S.); (Y.Y.); (M.F.S.)
- Liebig Centre for Agroecology & Climate Impact Research, 35394 Giessen, Germany
| | - Tanja Rehling
- Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany (H.S.); (Y.Y.); (M.F.S.)
- Liebig Centre for Agroecology & Climate Impact Research, 35394 Giessen, Germany
| | - Henrik Schlosser
- Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany (H.S.); (Y.Y.); (M.F.S.)
| | - Daniela Mayorga-Ch
- Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany (H.S.); (Y.Y.); (M.F.S.)
| | - Mara Heilig
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets NW, Washington, DC 20057-1229, USA; (M.H.); (P.A.A.)
| | - Ying Yan
- Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany (H.S.); (Y.Y.); (M.F.S.)
- Liebig Centre for Agroecology & Climate Impact Research, 35394 Giessen, Germany
| | - Peter A. Armbruster
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets NW, Washington, DC 20057-1229, USA; (M.H.); (P.A.A.)
| | - Marc F. Schetelig
- Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394 Giessen, Germany (H.S.); (Y.Y.); (M.F.S.)
- Liebig Centre for Agroecology & Climate Impact Research, 35394 Giessen, Germany
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5
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Weng SC, Antoshechkin I, Marois E, Akbari OS. Efficient Sex Separation by Exploiting Differential Alternative Splicing of a Dominant Marker in Aedes aegypti. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.16.545348. [PMID: 37398094 PMCID: PMC10312783 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.16.545348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Only female mosquitoes consume blood and transmit deadly human pathogens. Therefore, it is critical to remove females before conducting releases for genetic biocontrol interventions. Here we describe a robust sex-sorting approach termed SEPARATOR (Sexing Element Produced by Alternative RNA-splicing of A Transgenic Observable Reporter) that exploits sex-specific alternative splicing of an innocuous reporter to ensure exclusive dominant male-specific expression. Using SEPARATOR, we demonstrate reliable sex selection from larval and pupal stages in Aedes aegypti, and use a Complex Object Parametric Analyzer and Sorter (COPAS®) to demonstrate scalable high-throughput sex-selection of first instar larvae. Additionally, we use this approach to sequence the transcriptomes of early larval males and females and find several genes that are sex-specifically expressed in males. SEPARATOR can simplify mass production of males for release programs and is designed to be cross-species portable and should be instrumental for genetic biocontrol interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Che Weng
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125, USA
| | - Eric Marois
- CNRS UPR9022, INSERM U1257, Université de Strasbourg, France
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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6
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Bottino-Rojas V, James AA. Use of Insect Promoters in Genetic Engineering to Control Mosquito-Borne Diseases. Biomolecules 2022; 13:biom13010016. [PMID: 36671401 PMCID: PMC9855440 DOI: 10.3390/biom13010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquito transgenesis and gene-drive technologies provide the basis for developing promising new tools for vector-borne disease prevention by either suppressing wild mosquito populations or reducing their capacity from transmitting pathogens. Many studies of the regulatory DNA and promoters of genes with robust sex-, tissue- and stage-specific expression profiles have supported the development of new tools and strategies that could bring mosquito-borne diseases under control. Although the list of regulatory elements available is significant, only a limited set of those can reliably drive spatial-temporal expression. Here, we review the advances in our ability to express beneficial and other genes in mosquitoes, and highlight the information needed for the development of new mosquito-control and anti-disease strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Bottino-Rojas
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Anthony A. James
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Correspondence:
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7
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Geiser DL, Li W, Pham DQD, Wysocki VH, Winzerling JJ. Shotgun and TMT-Labeled Proteomic Analysis of the Ovarian Proteins of an Insect Vector, Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2022; 22:7. [PMID: 35303100 PMCID: PMC8932505 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieac018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Aedes aegypti [Linnaeus in Hasselquist; yellow fever mosquito] transmits several viruses that infect millions of people each year, including Zika, dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and West Nile. Pathogen transmission occurs during blood feeding. Only the females blood feed as they require a bloodmeal for oogenesis; in the bloodmeal, holo-transferrin and hemoglobin provide the females with a high iron load. We are interested in the effects of the bloodmeal on the expression of iron-associated proteins in oogenesis. Previous data showed that following digestion of a bloodmeal, ovarian iron concentrations doubles by 72 hr. We have used shotgun proteomics to identify proteins expressed in Ae. aegypti ovaries at two oogenesis developmental stages following blood feeding, and tandem mass tag-labeling proteomics to quantify proteins expressed at one stage following feeding of a controlled iron diet. Our findings provide the first report of mosquito ovarian protein expression in early and late oogenesis. We identify proteins differentially expressed in the two oogenesis development stages. We establish that metal-associated proteins play an important role in Ae. aegypti oogenesis and we identify new candidate proteins that might be involved in mosquito iron metabolism. Finally, this work identified a unique second ferritin light chain subunit, the first reported in any species. The shotgun proteomic data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD005893, while the tandem mass tag-labeled proteomic data are available with identifier PXD028242.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawn L Geiser
- Nutritional Sciences, Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Wenzhou Li
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Present Address: Amgen Incorporation, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Daphne Q-D Pham
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI 53141, USA
| | - Vicki H Wysocki
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Present Address: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Joy J Winzerling
- Nutritional Sciences, Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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8
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Li M, Yang T, Bui M, Gamez S, Wise T, Kandul NP, Liu J, Alcantara L, Lee H, Edula JR, Raban R, Zhan Y, Wang Y, DeBeaubien N, Chen J, Sánchez C HM, Bennett JB, Antoshechkin I, Montell C, Marshall JM, Akbari OS. Suppressing mosquito populations with precision guided sterile males. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5374. [PMID: 34508072 PMCID: PMC8433431 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25421-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector for arboviruses including dengue/yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus, infecting hundreds of millions of people annually. Unfortunately, traditional control methodologies are insufficient, so innovative control methods are needed. To complement existing measures, here we develop a molecular genetic control system termed precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) in Aedes aegypti. PgSIT uses a simple CRISPR-based approach to generate flightless females and sterile males that are deployable at any life stage. Supported by mathematical models, we empirically demonstrate that released pgSIT males can compete, suppress, and even eliminate mosquito populations. This platform technology could be used in the field, and adapted to many vectors, for controlling wild populations to curtail disease in a safe, confinable, and reversible manner. A. aegypti is the principal vector for arboviruses that impact on human health and wellbeing. Here the authors use precision guided sterile insect technique—pgSIT—to suppress or eliminate mosquito populations in multigeneration cage experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ting Yang
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michelle Bui
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie Gamez
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tyler Wise
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nikolay P Kandul
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Junru Liu
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lenissa Alcantara
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Haena Lee
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jyotheeswara R Edula
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), TIGS Center at inStem, GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Robyn Raban
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yinpeng Zhan
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Yijin Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Nick DeBeaubien
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Jieyan Chen
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Héctor M Sánchez C
- Divisions of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jared B Bennett
- Divisions of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Craig Montell
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - John M Marshall
- Divisions of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. .,Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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9
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Quinn C, Anthousi A, Wondji C, Nolan T. CRISPR-mediated knock-in of transgenes into the malaria vector Anopheles funestus. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2021; 11:6303614. [PMID: 34849822 PMCID: PMC8496255 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The ability to introduce mutations, or transgenes, of choice to precise genomic locations has revolutionized our ability to understand how genes and organisms work. In many mosquito species that are vectors of various human diseases, the advent of CRISPR genome editing tools has shed light on basic aspects of their biology that are relevant to their efficiency as disease vectors. This allows a better understanding of how current control tools work and opens up the possibility of novel genetic control approaches, such as gene drives, that deliberately introduce genetic traits into populations. Yet for the Anopheles funestus mosquito, a significant vector of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and indeed the dominant vector species in many countries, transgenesis has yet to be achieved. We describe herein an optimized transformation system based on the germline delivery of CRISPR components that allows efficient cleavage of a previously validated genomic site and preferential repair of these cut sites via homology-directed repair (HDR), which allows the introduction of exogenous template sequence, rather than end-joining repair. The rates of transformation achieved are sufficiently high that it should be able to introduce alleles of choice to a target locus, and recover these, without the need to include additional dominant marker genes. Moreover, the high rates of HDR observed suggest that gene drives, which employ an HDR-type mechanism to ensure their proliferation in the genome, may be well suited to work in A. funestus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amalia Anthousi
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 700 13, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion 700 13, Greece
| | - Charles Wondji
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- Department of Medical Entomology, Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé 5, Cameroon
| | - Tony Nolan
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- Corresponding author:
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10
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Hammond A, Karlsson X, Morianou I, Kyrou K, Beaghton A, Gribble M, Kranjc N, Galizi R, Burt A, Crisanti A, Nolan T. Regulating the expression of gene drives is key to increasing their invasive potential and the mitigation of resistance. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009321. [PMID: 33513149 PMCID: PMC7886172 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Homing-based gene drives use a germline source of nuclease to copy themselves at specific target sites in a genome and bias their inheritance. Such gene drives can be designed to spread and deliberately suppress populations of malaria mosquitoes by impairing female fertility. However, strong unintended fitness costs of the drive and a propensity to generate resistant mutations can limit a gene drive’s potential to spread. Alternative germline regulatory sequences in the drive element confer improved fecundity of carrier individuals and reduced propensity for target site resistance. This is explained by reduced rates of end-joining repair of DNA breaks from parentally deposited nuclease in the embryo, which can produce heritable mutations that reduce gene drive penetrance. We tracked the generation and selection of resistant mutations over the course of a gene drive invasion of a population. Improved gene drives show faster invasion dynamics, increased suppressive effect and later onset of target site resistance. Our results show that regulation of nuclease expression is as important as the choice of target site when developing a robust homing-based gene drive for population suppression. Gene drives are selfish genetic elements that are able to drastically bias their own inheritance. They can rapidly invade populations, even starting from a very low frequency. Recent advances have allowed the engineering of gene drives deliberately designed to spread genetic traits of choice into populations of malaria-transmitting mosquito species–for example traits that impair a mosquito’s ability to reproduce or its ability to transmit parasites. The class of gene drive in question uses a very precise cutting and copying mechanism, termed ‘homing’, that allows it to increase its numbers in the cells that go on to form sperm or eggs, thereby increasing the chances that a copy of the gene drive is transmitted to offspring. However, while this type of gene drive can rapidly invade a mosquito population, mosquitoes can also eventually become resistant to the gene drive in some cases. Here we show that restricting the cutting activity of the gene drive to the germline tissue is crucial to maintaining its potency and we illustrate how failure to restrict this activity can lead to the generation of mutations that can make mosquitoes resistant to the gene drive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Hammond
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Xenia Karlsson
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ioanna Morianou
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kyros Kyrou
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Beaghton
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Gribble
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nace Kranjc
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Roberto Galizi
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Austin Burt
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Crisanti
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- * E-mail: (AC); (TN)
| | - Tony Nolan
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AC); (TN)
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11
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Kojin BB, Biedler JK, Tu Z, Adelman ZN. Characterization of a female germline and early zygote promoter from the transcription factor bZip1 in the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:353. [PMID: 32680549 PMCID: PMC7367395 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04216-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The wide distribution of Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses, currently puts three billion people in the world at risk of infection with these viruses. Continuous transmission of these and other viruses despite aggressive efforts to prevent this emphasizes the need to develop new control strategies. Proposals to control disease transmission based on vector engineering, including both population suppression and population replacement, rely on the development of transgenes under the control of regulatory elements able to drive molecules in a specific tissue, time and strength. Methods Here we report the characterization of a promoter active in both the female germline and early zygote, derived from the transcription factor bZip1 in the mosquito Ae. aegypti, using transposon-based methods and RT-qPCR. Results We generated seven transgenic lines carrying AabZip1-reporter constructs and observed expression in both the ovary and early embryo. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to evaluate transcript expression patterns for each line, confirming that transgenic expression from the AabZip1 promoter largely recapitulated the endogenous expression pattern, albeit the strength of maternal expression appeared to be strongly influenced by chromosomal position. Conclusions This study provides a new regulatory sequence that can be useful for generating transgenic lines that can become a tool in vector control strategies.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca B Kojin
- Department of Entomology and Agrilife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - James K Biedler
- Department of Biochemistry and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Department of Biochemistry and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Zach N Adelman
- Department of Entomology and Agrilife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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12
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The Developmental Transcriptome of Aedes albopictus, a Major Worldwide Human Disease Vector. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2020; 10:1051-1062. [PMID: 31964684 PMCID: PMC7056973 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.401006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are important vectors for a number of human pathogens including the Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses. Capable of displacing Aedes aegypti populations, this mosquito adapts to cooler environments which increases its geographical range and transmission potential. There are limited control strategies for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes which is likely attributed to the lack of comprehensive biological studies on this emerging vector. To fill this void, here using RNAseq we characterized Aedes albopictus mRNA expression profiles at 34 distinct time points throughout development providing the first high-resolution comprehensive view of the developmental transcriptome of this worldwide human disease vector. This enabled us to identify several patterns of shared gene expression among tissues as well as sex-specific expression patterns. To illuminate the similarities and differences with Aedes aegypti, a related human disease vector, we also performed a comparative analysis between the two developmental transcriptomes, identifying life stages where the two species exhibit similar and distinct gene expression patterns. These findings provide insights into the similarities and differences between Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquito biology. In summary, the results generated from this study should form the basis for future investigations on the biology of Aedes albopictus and provide a gold mine resource for the development of transgene-based vector control strategies.
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13
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Li M, Yang T, Kandul NP, Bui M, Gamez S, Raban R, Bennett J, Sánchez C HM, Lanzaro GC, Schmidt H, Lee Y, Marshall JM, Akbari OS. Development of a confinable gene drive system in the human disease vector Aedes aegypti. eLife 2020; 9:e51701. [PMID: 31960794 PMCID: PMC6974361 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti is the principal mosquito vector for many arboviruses that increasingly infect millions of people every year. With an escalating burden of infections and the relative failure of traditional control methods, the development of innovative control measures has become of paramount importance. The use of gene drives has sparked significant enthusiasm for genetic control of mosquitoes; however, no such system has been developed in Ae. aegypti. To fill this void, here we develop several CRISPR-based split gene drives for use in this vector. With cleavage rates up to 100% and transmission rates as high as 94%, mathematical models predict that these systems could spread anti-pathogen effector genes into wild populations in a safe, confinable and reversible manner appropriate for field trials and effective for controlling disease. These findings could expedite the development of effector-linked gene drives that could safely control wild populations of Ae. aegypti to combat local pathogen transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Section of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Ting Yang
- Section of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Nikolay P Kandul
- Section of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Michelle Bui
- Section of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Stephanie Gamez
- Section of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Robyn Raban
- Section of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Jared Bennett
- Department of BiophysicsUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Héctor M Sánchez C
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public HealthUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Gregory C Lanzaro
- Vector Genetics Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of California, DavisDavisUnited States
| | - Hanno Schmidt
- Vector Genetics Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of California, DavisDavisUnited States
| | - Yoosook Lee
- Vector Genetics Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of California, DavisDavisUnited States
| | - John M Marshall
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public HealthUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Innovative Genomics InstituteBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Section of Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
- Tata Institute for Genetics and SocietyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
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14
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Antiviral Effectors and Gene Drive Strategies for Mosquito Population Suppression or Replacement to Mitigate Arbovirus Transmission by Aedes aegypti. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11010052. [PMID: 31940960 PMCID: PMC7023000 DOI: 10.3390/insects11010052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The mosquito vector Aedes aegypti transmits arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of medical importance, including Zika, dengue, and yellow fever viruses. Controlling mosquito populations remains the method of choice to prevent disease transmission. Novel mosquito control strategies based on genetically manipulating mosquitoes are being developed as additional tools to combat arbovirus transmission. Genetic control of mosquitoes includes two basic strategies: population suppression and population replacement. The former aims to eliminate mosquito populations while the latter aims to replace wild populations with engineered, pathogen-resistant mosquitoes. In this review, we outline suppression strategies being applied in the field, as well as current antiviral effector genes that have been characterized and expressed in transgenic Ae. aegypti for population replacement. We discuss cutting-edge gene drive technologies that can be used to enhance the inheritance of effector genes, while highlighting the challenges and opportunities associated with gene drives. Finally, we present currently available models that can estimate mosquito release numbers and time to transgene fixation for several gene drive systems. Based on the recent advances in genetic engineering, we anticipate that antiviral transgenic Ae. aegypti exhibiting gene drive will soon emerge; however, close monitoring in simulated field conditions will be required to demonstrate the efficacy and utility of such transgenic mosquitoes.
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15
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Bui M, Shyong J, Lutz EK, Yang T, Li M, Truong K, Arvidson R, Buchman A, Riffell JA, Akbari OS. Live calcium imaging of Aedes aegypti neuronal tissues reveals differential importance of chemosensory systems for life-history-specific foraging strategies. BMC Neurosci 2019; 20:27. [PMID: 31208328 PMCID: PMC6580577 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-019-0511-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mosquito Aedes aegypti has a wide variety of sensory pathways that have supported its success as a species as well as a highly competent vector of numerous debilitating infectious pathogens. Investigations into mosquito sensory systems and their effects on behavior are valuable resources for the advancement of mosquito control strategies. Numerous studies have elucidated key aspects of mosquito sensory systems, however there remains critical gaps within the field. In particular, compared to that of the adult form, there has been a lack of studies directed towards the immature life stages. Additionally, although numerous studies have pinpointed specific sensory receptors as well as responding motor outputs, there has been a lack of studies able to monitor both concurrently. RESULTS To begin filling aforementioned gaps, here we engineered Ae. aegypti to ubiquitously express a genetically encoded calcium indicator, GCaMP6s. Using this strain, combined with advanced microscopy, we simultaneously measured live stimulus-evoked calcium responses in both neuronal and muscle cells with a wide spatial range and resolution. CONCLUSIONS By coupling in vivo live calcium imaging with behavioral assays we were able to gain functional insights into how stimulus-evoked neural and muscle activities are represented, modulated, and transformed in mosquito larvae enabling us to elucidate mosquito sensorimotor properties important for life-history-specific foraging strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Bui
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
| | - Jennifer Shyong
- Department of Entomology and Riverside Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
| | - Eleanor K. Lutz
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 USA
| | - Ting Yang
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
| | - Ming Li
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
| | - Kenneth Truong
- Department of Entomology and Riverside Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
| | - Ryan Arvidson
- Department of Entomology and Riverside Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
| | - Anna Buchman
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
| | | | - Omar S. Akbari
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
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16
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Nash A, Urdaneta GM, Beaghton AK, Hoermann A, Papathanos PA, Christophides GK, Windbichler N. Integral gene drives for population replacement. Biol Open 2019; 8:bio037762. [PMID: 30498016 PMCID: PMC6361204 DOI: 10.1242/bio.037762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A first generation of CRISPR-based gene drives has now been tested in the laboratory in a number of organisms, including malaria vector mosquitoes. Challenges for their use in the area-wide genetic control of vector-borne disease have been identified, including the development of target site resistance, their long-term efficacy in the field, their molecular complexity, and practical and legal limitations for field testing of both gene drive and coupled anti-pathogen traits. We have evaluated theoretically the concept of integral gene drive (IGD) as an alternative paradigm for population replacement. IGDs incorporate a minimal set of molecular components, including drive and anti-pathogen effector elements directly embedded within endogenous genes - an arrangement that in theory allows targeting functionally conserved coding sequences without disrupting their function. Autonomous and non-autonomous IGD strains could be generated, optimized, regulated and imported independently. We performed quantitative modeling comparing IGDs with classical replacement drives and show that selection for the function of the hijacked host gene can significantly reduce the establishment of resistant alleles in the population, while drive occurring at multiple genomic loci prolongs the duration of transmission blockage in the face of pre-existing target site variation. IGD thus has potential as a more durable and flexible population replacement strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Nash
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Giulia Mignini Urdaneta
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Andrea K Beaghton
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Astrid Hoermann
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Philippos Aris Papathanos
- Centre of Functional Genomics, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia 06123, Italy
- Department of Entomology, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - George K Christophides
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Nikolai Windbichler
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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17
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Abstract
Background Aedes aegypti is an important mosquito vector that transmits arboviruses that cause devastating diseases including Zika, dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya. Improved understanding of gene regulation in the early development of Ae. aegypti will facilitate genetic studies and help the development of novel control strategies of this important disease vector. Results In this study, we demonstrated through transgenic assays that the promoter of an endogenous early zygotic gene KLC2 could drive gene expression in the syncytial blastoderm and early cellular blastoderm, which is a stage that the developing germline and the rest of embryo are accessible to genetic manipulation. An unexpected expression of the reporter gene in transgenic male testes was also observed. Further analysis confirmed the expression of the endogenous KLC2 in the testes, which was not detected in the previous RNA sequencing data. Conclusions Our finding provided a new promoter element that can be used in future genetic studies and applications in Ae. aegypti. Moreover, our transgenic reporter assays showed that cautions are needed when interpreting RNA sequencing data as transient or tissue-specific transcription may go undetected by RNAseq. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3210-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanqi Hu
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, 303 Fralin, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.,Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Zhijian Jake Tu
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, 303 Fralin, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA. .,Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
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18
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Li M, Bui M, Yang T, Bowman CS, White BJ, Akbari OS. Germline Cas9 expression yields highly efficient genome engineering in a major worldwide disease vector, Aedes aegypti. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E10540-E10549. [PMID: 29138316 PMCID: PMC5724270 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1711538114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of CRISPR/Cas9 technologies has dramatically increased the accessibility and efficiency of genome editing in many organisms. In general, in vivo germline expression of Cas9 results in substantially higher activity than embryonic injection. However, no transgenic lines expressing Cas9 have been developed for the major mosquito disease vector Aedes aegypti Here, we describe the generation of multiple stable, transgenic Ae. aegypti strains expressing Cas9 in the germline, resulting in dramatic improvements in both the consistency and efficiency of genome modifications using CRISPR. Using these strains, we disrupted numerous genes important for normal morphological development, and even generated triple mutants from a single injection. We have also managed to increase the rates of homology-directed repair by more than an order of magnitude. Given the exceptional mutagenic efficiency and specificity of the Cas9 strains we engineered, they can be used for high-throughput reverse genetic screens to help functionally annotate the Ae. aegypti genome. Additionally, these strains represent a step toward the development of novel population control technologies targeting Ae. aegypti that rely on Cas9-based gene drives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
- Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
| | - Michelle Bui
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
- Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
| | - Ting Yang
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
- Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
| | - Christian S Bowman
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
- Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
| | - Bradley J White
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
- Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521;
- Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521
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19
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Sutton ER, Yu Y, Shimeld SM, White-Cooper H, Alphey AL. Identification of genes for engineering the male germline of Aedes aegypti and Ceratitis capitata. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:948. [PMID: 27871244 PMCID: PMC5117610 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-3280-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Synthetic biology approaches are promising new strategies for control of pest insects that transmit disease and cause agricultural damage. These strategies require characterised modular components that can direct appropriate expression of effector sequences, with components conserved across species being particularly useful. The goal of this study was to identify genes from which new potential components could be derived for manipulation of the male germline in two major pest species, the mosquito Aedes aegypti and the tephritid fruit fly Ceratitis capitata. RESULTS Using RNA-seq data from staged testis samples, we identified several candidate genes with testis-specific expression and suitable expression timing for use of their regulatory regions in synthetic control constructs. We also developed a novel computational pipeline to identify candidate genes with testis-specific splicing from this data; use of alternative splicing is another method for restricting expression in synthetic systems. Some of the genes identified display testis-specific expression or splicing that is conserved across species; these are particularly promising candidates for construct development. CONCLUSIONS In this study we have identified a set of genes with testis-specific expression or splicing. In addition to their interest from a basic biology perspective, these findings provide a basis from which to develop synthetic systems to control important pest insects via manipulation of the male germline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Sutton
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.,Oxitec Ltd, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RX, UK.,Present address: Sistemic, West of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow, G20 0SP, UK
| | - Yachuan Yu
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK.,Present address: The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, CRUK, Glasgow, G61 1BD, UK
| | | | | | - And Luke Alphey
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK. .,Oxitec Ltd, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RX, UK. .,The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, GU24 0NF, UK.
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20
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Champer J, Buchman A, Akbari OS. Cheating evolution: engineering gene drives to manipulate the fate of wild populations. Nat Rev Genet 2016; 17:146-59. [PMID: 26875679 DOI: 10.1038/nrg.2015.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Engineered gene drives - the process of stimulating the biased inheritance of specific genes - have the potential to enable the spread of desirable genes throughout wild populations or to suppress harmful species, and may be particularly useful for the control of vector-borne diseases such as malaria. Although several types of selfish genetic elements exist in nature, few have been successfully engineered in the laboratory thus far. With the discovery of RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated 9) nucleases, which can be utilized to create, streamline and improve synthetic gene drives, this is rapidly changing. Here, we discuss the different types of engineered gene drives and their potential applications, as well as current policies regarding the safety and regulation of gene drives for the manipulation of wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson Champer
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | - Anna Buchman
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Center for Disease Vector Research, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
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21
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Proteomics reveals major components of oogenesis in the reproductive tract of sugar-fed Anopheles aquasalis. Parasitol Res 2016; 115:1977-89. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-4940-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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22
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Matthews BJ, McBride CS, DeGennaro M, Despo O, Vosshall LB. The neurotranscriptome of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:32. [PMID: 26738925 PMCID: PMC4704297 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-2239-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A complete genome sequence and the advent of genome editing open up non-traditional model organisms to mechanistic genetic studies. The mosquito Aedes aegypti is an important vector of infectious diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever and has a large and complex genome, which has slowed annotation efforts. We used comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of adult gene expression to improve the genome annotation and to provide a detailed tissue-specific catalogue of neural gene expression at different adult behavioral states. RESULTS We carried out deep RNA sequencing across all major peripheral male and female sensory tissues, the brain and (female) ovary. Furthermore, we examined gene expression across three important phases of the female reproductive cycle, a remarkable example of behavioral switching in which a female mosquito alternates between obtaining blood-meals from humans and laying eggs. Using genome-guided alignments and de novo transcriptome assembly, our re-annotation includes 572 new putative protein-coding genes and updates to 13.5 and 50.3 % of existing transcripts within coding sequences and untranslated regions, respectively. Using this updated annotation, we detail gene expression in each tissue, identifying large numbers of transcripts regulated by blood-feeding and sexually dimorphic transcripts that may provide clues to the biology of male- and female-specific behaviors, such as mating and blood-feeding, which are areas of intensive study for those interested in vector control. CONCLUSIONS This neurotranscriptome forms a strong foundation for the study of genes in the mosquito nervous system and investigation of sensory-driven behaviors and their regulation. Furthermore, understanding the molecular genetic basis of mosquito chemosensory behavior has important implications for vector control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Matthews
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| | - Carolyn S McBride
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Present Address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Matthew DeGennaro
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Present Address: Department of Biological Sciences, Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
| | - Orion Despo
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Present address: Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Leslie B Vosshall
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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23
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Maternal germline-specific genes in the Asian malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi: characterization and application for disease control. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2014; 5:157-66. [PMID: 25480960 PMCID: PMC4321024 DOI: 10.1534/g3.114.015578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Anopheles stephensi is a principal vector of urban malaria on the Indian subcontinent and an emerging model for molecular and genetic studies of mosquito biology. To enhance our understanding of female mosquito reproduction, and to develop new tools for basic research and for genetic strategies to control mosquito-borne infectious diseases, we identified 79 genes that displayed previtellogenic germline-specific expression based on RNA-Seq data generated from 11 life stage-specific and sex-specific samples. Analysis of this gene set provided insights into the biology and evolution of female reproduction. Promoters from two of these candidates, vitellogenin receptor and nanos, were used in independent transgenic cassettes for the expression of artificial microRNAs against suspected mosquito maternal-effect genes, discontinuous actin hexagon and myd88. We show these promoters have early germline-specific expression and demonstrate 73% and 42% knockdown of myd88 and discontinuous actin hexagon mRNA in ovaries 48 hr after blood meal, respectively. Additionally, we demonstrate maternal-specific delivery of mRNA and protein to progeny embryos. We discuss the application of this system of maternal delivery of mRNA/miRNA/protein in research on mosquito reproduction and embryonic development, and for the development of a gene drive system based on maternal-effect dominant embryonic arrest.
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24
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Salvemini M, Arunkumar KP, Nagaraju J, Sanges R, Petrella V, Tomar A, Zhang H, Zheng W, Saccone G. De novo assembly and transcriptome analysis of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata early embryos. PLoS One 2014; 9:e114191. [PMID: 25474564 PMCID: PMC4256415 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 11/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata, also known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or Medfly, belongs to the Tephritidae family, which includes a large number of other damaging pest species. The Medfly has been the first non-drosophilid fly species which has been genetically transformed paving the way for designing genetic-based pest control strategies. Furthermore, it is an experimentally tractable model, in which transient and transgene-mediated RNAi have been successfully used. We applied Illumina sequencing to total RNA preparations of 8–10 hours old embryos of C. capitata, This developmental window corresponds to the blastoderm cellularization stage. In summary, we assembled 42,614 transcripts which cluster in 26,319 unique transcripts of which 11,045 correspond to protein coding genes; we identified several hundreds of long ncRNAs; we found an enrichment of transcripts encoding RNA binding proteins among the highly expressed transcripts, such as CcTRA-2, known to be necessary to establish and, most likely, to maintain female sex of C. capitata. Our study is the first de novo assembly performed for Ceratitis capitata based on Illumina NGS technology during embryogenesis and it adds novel data to the previously published C. capitata EST databases. We expect that it will be useful for a variety of applications such as gene cloning and phylogenetic analyses, as well as to advance genetic research and biotechnological applications in the Medfly and other related Tephritidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Salvemini
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Remo Sanges
- Stazione Zoologica "Anton Dohrn", Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Petrella
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Archana Tomar
- Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, India
| | - Hongyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and Institute of Urban and Horticultural Pests, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Weiwei Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and Institute of Urban and Horticultural Pests, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Giuseppe Saccone
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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