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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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Filipović I, Marshall JM, Rašić G. Finding divergent sequences of homomorphic sex chromosomes via diploidized nanopore-based assembly from a single male. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.29.582759. [PMID: 38464271 PMCID: PMC10925256 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.29.582759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Although homomorphic sex chromosomes can have non-recombining regions with elevated sequence divergence between its complements, such divergence signals can be difficult to detect bioinformatically. If found in genomes of e.g. insect pests, these sequences could be targeted by the engineered genetic sexing and control systems. Here, we report an approach that can leverage long-read nanopore sequencing of a single XY male to identify divergent regions of homomorphic sex chromosomes. Long-read data are used for de novo genome assembly that is diploidized in a way that maximizes sex-specific differences between its haploid complements. We show that the correct assembly phasing is supported by the mapping of nanopore reads from the male's haploid Y-bearing sperm cells. The approach revealed a highly divergent region (HDR) near the centromere of the homomorphic sex chromosome of Aedes aegypti, the most important arboviral vector, for which there is a great interest in creating new genetic control tools. HDR is located ~5Mb downstream of the known male-determining locus on chromosome 1 and is significantly enriched for ovary-biased genes. While recombination in HDR ceased relatively recently (~1.4 MYA), HDR gametologs have divergent exons and introns of protein coding genes, and most lncRNA genes became X-specific. Megabases of previously invisible sex-linked sequences provide new putative targets for engineering the genetic systems to control this deadly mosquito. Broadly, our approach expands the toolbox for studying cryptic structure of sex chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Filipović
- Mosquito Genomics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Herston QLD 4006, Australia
- The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - John M Marshall
- Divisions of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gordana Rašić
- Mosquito Genomics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Herston QLD 4006, Australia
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Ryazansky SS, Chen C, Potters M, Naumenko AN, Lukyanchikova V, Masri RA, Brusentsov II, Karagodin DA, Yurchenko AA, Dos Anjos VL, Haba Y, Rose NH, Hoffman J, Guo R, Menna T, Kelley M, Ferrill E, Schultz KE, Qi Y, Sharma A, Deschamps S, Llaca V, Mao C, Murphy TD, Baricheva EM, Emrich S, Fritz ML, Benoit JB, Sharakhov IV, McBride CS, Tu Z, Sharakhova MV. The chromosome-scale genome assembly for the West Nile vector Culex quinquefasciatus uncovers patterns of genome evolution in mosquitoes. BMC Biol 2024; 22:16. [PMID: 38273363 PMCID: PMC10809549 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01825-0] [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: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding genome organization and evolution is important for species involved in transmission of human diseases, such as mosquitoes. Anophelinae and Culicinae subfamilies of mosquitoes show striking differences in genome sizes, sex chromosome arrangements, behavior, and ability to transmit pathogens. However, the genomic basis of these differences is not fully understood. METHODS In this study, we used a combination of advanced genome technologies such as Oxford Nanopore Technology sequencing, Hi-C scaffolding, Bionano, and cytogenetic mapping to develop an improved chromosome-scale genome assembly for the West Nile vector Culex quinquefasciatus. RESULTS We then used this assembly to annotate odorant receptors, odorant binding proteins, and transposable elements. A genomic region containing male-specific sequences on chromosome 1 and a polymorphic inversion on chromosome 3 were identified in the Cx. quinquefasciatus genome. In addition, the genome of Cx. quinquefasciatus was compared with the genomes of other mosquitoes such as malaria vectors An. coluzzi and An. albimanus, and the vector of arboviruses Ae. aegypti. Our work confirms significant expansion of the two chemosensory gene families in Cx. quinquefasciatus, as well as a significant increase and relocation of the transposable elements in both Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti relative to the Anophelines. Phylogenetic analysis clarifies the divergence time between the mosquito species. Our study provides new insights into chromosomal evolution in mosquitoes and finds that the X chromosome of Anophelinae and the sex-determining chromosome 1 of Culicinae have a significantly higher rate of evolution than autosomes. CONCLUSION The improved Cx. quinquefasciatus genome assembly uncovered new details of mosquito genome evolution and has the potential to speed up the development of novel vector control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei S Ryazansky
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Cell, NRC "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow, Russia
| | - Chujia Chen
- Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology Program, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Mark Potters
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, USA
| | - Anastasia N Naumenko
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Varvara Lukyanchikova
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Group of Genomic Mechanisms of Development, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Laboratory of Structural and Functional Genomics, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Reem A Masri
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Ilya I Brusentsov
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Laboratory of Cell Differentiation Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Dmitriy A Karagodin
- Laboratory of Cell Differentiation Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Andrey A Yurchenko
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Vitor L Dos Anjos
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Yuki Haba
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Noah H Rose
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jinna Hoffman
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Rong Guo
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Theresa Menna
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Melissa Kelley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Emily Ferrill
- County of San Diego Vector Control Program, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Karen E Schultz
- Mosquito and Vector Management District of Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Yumin Qi
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, USA
| | - Atashi Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, USA
| | | | | | - Chunhong Mao
- Biocomplexity Institute & Initiative University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Terence D Murphy
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Elina M Baricheva
- Laboratory of Cell Differentiation Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Scott Emrich
- Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Megan L Fritz
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Joshua B Benoit
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Carolyn S McBride
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology Program, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, USA
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Maria V Sharakhova
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Laboratory of Cell Differentiation Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russia.
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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Liu P, Yang W, Kong L, Zhao S, Xie Z, Zhao Y, Wu Y, Guo Y, Xie Y, Liu T, Jin B, Gu J, Tu ZJ, James AA, Chen XG. A DBHS family member regulates male determination in the filariasis vector Armigeres subalbatus. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2292. [PMID: 37085529 PMCID: PMC10121658 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37983-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The initial signals governing sex determination vary widely among insects. Here we show that Armigeres subalbatus M factor (AsuMf), a male-specific duplication of an autosomal gene of the Drosophila behaviour/human splicing (DBHS) gene family, is the potential primary signal for sex determination in the human filariasis vector mosquito, Ar. subalbatus. Our results show that AsuMf satisfies two fundamental requirements of an M factor: male-specific expression and early embryonic expression. Ablations of AsuMf result in a shift from male- to female-specific splicing of doublesex and fruitless, leading to feminization of males both in morphology and general transcription profile. These data support the conclusion that AsuMf is essential for male development in Ar. subalbatus and reveal a male-determining factor that is derived from duplication and subsequent neofunctionalization of a member of the conserved DBHS family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiwen Liu
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Wenqiang Yang
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Ling Kong
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Siyu Zhao
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Zhensheng Xie
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Yijie Zhao
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Yang Wu
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Yijia Guo
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Yugu Xie
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Tong Liu
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Binbin Jin
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Jinbao Gu
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Zhijian Jake Tu
- Department of Biochemistry and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Anthony A James
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Xiao-Guang Chen
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China.
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5
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Chen C, Compton A, Nikolouli K, Wang A, Aryan A, Sharma A, Qi Y, Dellinger C, Hempel M, Potters M, Augustinos A, Severson DW, Bourtzis K, Tu Z. Marker-assisted mapping enables forward genetic analysis in Aedes aegypti, an arboviral vector with vast recombination deserts. Genetics 2022; 222:iyac140. [PMID: 36083009 PMCID: PMC9630976 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti is a major vector of arboviruses that cause dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika. Although recent success in reverse genetics has facilitated rapid progress in basic and applied research, integration of forward genetics with modern technologies remains challenging in this important species, as up to 47% of its chromosome is refractory to genetic mapping due to extremely low rate of recombination. Here, we report the development of a marker-assisted mapping strategy to readily screen for and genotype only the rare but informative recombinants, drastically increasing both the resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. Using marker-assisted mapping, we mapped a transgene that was inserted in a >100-Mb recombination desert and a sex-linked spontaneous red-eye (re) mutation just outside the region. We subsequently determined, by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout, that cardinal is the causal gene of re, which is the first forward genetic identification of a causal gene in Ae. aegypti. The identification of the causal gene of the sex-linked re mutation provides the molecular foundation for using gene editing to develop versatile and stable genetic sexing methods. To facilitate genome-wide forward genetics in Ae. aegypti, we generated and compiled a number of lines with markers throughout the genome. Thus, by overcoming the challenges presented by the vast recombination deserts and the scarcity of markers, we have shown that effective forward genetic analysis is increasingly feasible in this important arboviral vector species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chujia Chen
- Genetics Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Austin Compton
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Katerina Nikolouli
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, IAEA Laboratories, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Aihua Wang
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Azadeh Aryan
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Atashi Sharma
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Yumin Qi
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Camden Dellinger
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Melanie Hempel
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Mark Potters
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Antonios Augustinos
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, IAEA Laboratories, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - David W Severson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Kostas Bourtzis
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, IAEA Laboratories, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Genetics Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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6
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Kojin BB, Compton A, Adelman ZN, Tu Z. Selective targeting of biting females to control mosquito-borne infectious diseases. Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:791-804. [PMID: 35952630 PMCID: PMC9372635 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Mosquitoes are vectors for a number of infectious diseases. Only females feed on blood to provision for their embryos and, in doing so, transmit pathogens to the associated vertebrate hosts. Therefore, sex is an important phenotype in the context of genetic control programs, both for sex separation in the rearing facilities to avoid releasing biting females and for ways to distort the sex ratio towards nonbiting males. We review recent progress in the fundamental knowledge of sex determination and sex chromosomes in mosquitoes and discuss new methods to achieve sex separation and sex ratio distortion to help control mosquito-borne infectious diseases. We conclude by suggesting a few critical areas for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca B Kojin
- Department of Entomology and Agrilife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Austin Compton
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA; 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.
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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7
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Transgenic expression of Nix converts genetic females into males and allows automated sex sorting in Aedes albopictus. Commun Biol 2022; 5:210. [PMID: 35256751 PMCID: PMC8901906 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03165-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aedes albopictus is a major vector of arboviruses. Better understanding of its sex determination is crucial for developing mosquito control tools, especially genetic sexing strains. In Aedes aegypti, Nix is the primary gene responsible for masculinization and Nix-expressing genetic females develop into fertile, albeit flightless, males. In Ae. albopictus, Nix has also been implicated in masculinization but its role remains to be further characterized. In this work, we establish Ae. albopictus transgenic lines ectopically expressing Nix. Several are composed exclusively of genetic females, with transgenic individuals being phenotypic and functional males due to the expression of the Nix transgene. Their reproductive fitness is marginally impaired, while their flight performance is similar to controls. Overall, our results show that Nix is sufficient for full masculinization in Ae. albopictus. Moreover, the transgene construct contains a fluorescence marker allowing efficient automated sex sorting. Consequently, such strains constitute valuable sexing strains for genetic control. Nix expression with a fluorescent marker in genetically female Ae. albopictus causes masculinization with minimal effects to reproductive fitness and flight performance.
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8
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Siddall A, Harvey-Samuel T, Chapman T, Leftwich PT. Manipulating Insect Sex Determination Pathways for Genetic Pest Management: Opportunities and Challenges. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:867851. [PMID: 35837548 PMCID: PMC9274970 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.867851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex determination pathways in insects are generally characterised by an upstream primary signal, which is highly variable across species, and that regulates the splicing of a suite of downstream but highly-conserved genes (transformer, doublesex and fruitless). In turn, these downstream genes then regulate the expression of sex-specific characteristics in males and females. Identification of sex determination pathways has and continues to be, a critical component of insect population suppression technologies. For example, "first-generation" transgenic technologies such as fsRIDL (Female-Specific Release of Insects carrying Dominant Lethals) enabled efficient selective removal of females from a target population as a significant improvement on the sterile insect technique (SIT). Second-generation technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 homing gene drives and precision-guided SIT (pgSIT) have used gene editing technologies to manipulate sex determination genes in vivo. The development of future, third-generation control technologies, such as Y-linked drives, (female to male) sex-reversal, or X-shredding, will require additional knowledge of aspects of sexual development, including a deeper understanding of the nature of primary signals and dosage compensation. This review shows how knowledge of sex determination in target pest species is fundamental to all phases of the development of control technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Siddall
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Tim Harvey-Samuel
- Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Philip T Leftwich
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
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9
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Nowling RJ, Behura SK, Halfon MS, Emrich SJ, Duman-Scheel M. PeakMatcher facilitates updated Aedes aegypti embryonic cis-regulatory element map. Hereditas 2021; 158:7. [PMID: 33509290 PMCID: PMC7844911 DOI: 10.1186/s41065-021-00172-2] [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: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a threat to human health across the globe. The A. aegypti genome was recently re-sequenced and re-assembled. Due to a combination of long-read PacBio and Hi-C sequencing, the AaegL5 assembly is chromosome complete and significantly improves the assembly in key areas such as the M/m sex-determining locus. Release of the updated genome assembly has precipitated the need to reprocess historical functional genomic data sets, including cis-regulatory element (CRE) maps that had previously been generated for A. aegypti. RESULTS We re-processed and re-analyzed the A. aegypti whole embryo FAIRE seq data to create an updated embryonic CRE map for the AaegL5 genome. We validated that the new CRE map recapitulates key features of the original AaegL3 CRE map. Further, we built on the improved assembly in the M/m locus to analyze overlaps of open chromatin regions with genes. To support the validation, we created a new method (PeakMatcher) for matching peaks from the same experimental data set across genome assemblies. CONCLUSION Use of PeakMatcher software, which is available publicly under an open-source license, facilitated the release of an updated and validated CRE map, which is available through the NIH GEO. These findings demonstrate that PeakMatcher software will be a useful resource for validation and transferring of previous annotations to updated genome assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald J Nowling
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Milwaukee School of Engineering, 1025 North Broadway, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, USA.
| | - Susanta K Behura
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Marc S Halfon
- Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY, 14203, Buffalo, USA
| | - Scott J Emrich
- Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 37996, USA
| | - Molly Duman-Scheel
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, South Bend, IN, 46617, USA.,Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
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10
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Augustinos AA, Misbah-Ul-Haq M, Carvalho DO, de la Fuente LD, Koskinioti P, Bourtzis K. Irradiation induced inversions suppress recombination between the M locus and morphological markers in Aedes aegypti. BMC Genet 2020; 21:142. [PMID: 33339503 PMCID: PMC7747368 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-020-00949-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of arthropod-borne viruses and one of the most widespread and invasive mosquito species. Due to the lack of efficient specific drugs or vaccination strategies, vector population control methods, such as the sterile insect technique, are receiving renewed interest. However, availability of a reliable genetic sexing strategy is crucial, since there is almost zero tolerance for accidentally released females. Development of genetic sexing strains through classical genetics is hindered by genetic recombination that is not suppressed in males as is the case in many Diptera. Isolation of naturally-occurring or irradiation-induced inversions can enhance the genetic stability of genetic sexing strains developed through genetically linking desirable phenotypes with the male determining region. RESULTS For the induction and isolation of inversions through irradiation, 200 male pupae of the 'BRA' wild type strain were irradiated at 30 Gy and 100 isomale lines were set up by crossing with homozygous 'red-eye' (re) mutant females. Recombination between re and the M locus and the white (w) gene (causing a recessive white eye phenotype when mutated) and the M locus was tested in 45 and 32 lines, respectively. One inversion (Inv35) reduced recombination between both re and the M locus, and wand the M locus, consistent with the presence of a rather extended inversion between the two morphological mutations, that includes the M locus. Another inversion (Inv5) reduced recombination only between w and the M locus. In search of naturally-occurring, recombination-suppressing inversions, homozygous females from the red eye and the white eye strains were crossed with seventeen and fourteen wild type strains collected worldwide, representing either recently colonized or long-established laboratory populations. Despite evidence of varying frequencies of recombination, no combination led to the elimination or substantial reduction of recombination. CONCLUSION Inducing inversions through irradiation is a feasible strategy to isolate recombination suppressors either on the M or the m chromosome for Aedes aegypti. Such inversions can be incorporated in genetic sexing strains developed through classical genetics to enhance their genetic stability and support SIT or other approaches that aim to population suppression through male-delivered sterility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonios A Augustinos
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, A-1400, Vienna, Austria.
- Present address: Department of Plant Protection, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-Demeter, Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, 26442, Patras, Greece.
| | - Muhammad Misbah-Ul-Haq
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, A-1400, Vienna, Austria
- Present address: Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Danilo O Carvalho
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, A-1400, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lucia Duran de la Fuente
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, A-1400, Vienna, Austria
| | - Panagiota Koskinioti
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, A-1400, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500, Larissa, Greece
| | - Kostas Bourtzis
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, A-1400, Vienna, Austria.
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11
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O’Leary S, Adelman ZN. CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of female-biased genes AeAct-4 or myo-fem in Ae. aegypti results in a flightless phenotype in female, but not male mosquitoes. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008971. [PMID: 33338046 PMCID: PMC7781531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti is a vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Current vector control strategies such as community engagement, source reduction, and insecticides have not been sufficient to prevent viral outbreaks. Thus, interest in novel strategies involving genetic engineering is growing. Female mosquitoes rely on flight to mate with males and obtain a bloodmeal from a host. We hypothesized that knockout of genes specifically expressed in female mosquitoes associated with the indirect flight muscles would result in a flightless female mosquito. Using CRISPR-Cas9 we generated loss-of-function mutations in several genes hypothesized to control flight in mosquitoes, including actin (AeAct-4) and myosin (myo-fem) genes expressed specifically in the female flight muscle. Genetic knockout of these genes resulted in 100% flightless females, with homozygous males able to fly, mate, and produce offspring, albeit at a reduced rate when compared to wild type males. Interestingly, we found that while AeAct-4 was haplosufficient, with most heterozygous individuals capable of flight, this was not the case for myo-fem, where about half of individuals carrying only one intact copy could not fly. These findings lay the groundwork for developing novel mechanisms of controlling Ae. aegypti populations, and our results suggest that this mechanism could be applicable to other vector species of mosquito.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah O’Leary
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Zach N. Adelman
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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12
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Andere AA, Pimsler ML, Tarone AM, Picard CJ. The genomes of a monogenic fly: views of primitive sex chromosomes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15728. [PMID: 32978490 PMCID: PMC7519133 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72880-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The production of male and female offspring is often determined by the presence of specific sex chromosomes which control sex-specific expression, and sex chromosomes evolve through reduced recombination and specialized gene content. Here we present the genomes of Chrysomya rufifacies, a monogenic blow fly (females produce female or male offspring, exclusively) by separately sequencing and assembling each type of female and the male. The genomes (> 25X coverage) do not appear to have any sex-linked Muller F elements (typical for many Diptera) and exhibit little differentiation between groups supporting the morphological assessments of C. rufifacies homomorphic chromosomes. Males in this species are associated with a unimodal coverage distribution while females exhibit bimodal coverage distributions, suggesting a potential difference in genomic architecture. The presence of the individual-sex draft genomes herein provides new clues regarding the origination and evolution of the diverse sex-determining mechanisms observed within Diptera. Additional genomic analysis of sex chromosomes and sex-determining genes of other blow flies will allow a refined evolutionary understanding of how flies with a typical X/Y heterogametic amphogeny (male and female offspring in similar ratios) sex determination systems evolved into one with a dominant factor that results in single sex progeny in a chromosomally monomorphic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne A. Andere
- Department of Biology, Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN USA
| | - Meaghan L. Pimsler
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL USA
| | - Aaron M. Tarone
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX USA
| | - Christine J. Picard
- Department of Biology, Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN USA
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13
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Palatini U, Masri RA, Cosme LV, Koren S, Thibaud-Nissen F, Biedler JK, Krsticevic F, Johnston JS, Halbach R, Crawford JE, Antoshechkin I, Failloux AB, Pischedda E, Marconcini M, Ghurye J, Rhie A, Sharma A, Karagodin DA, Jenrette J, Gamez S, Miesen P, Masterson P, Caccone A, Sharakhova MV, Tu Z, Papathanos PA, Van Rij RP, Akbari OS, Powell J, Phillippy AM, Bonizzoni M. Improved reference genome of the arboviral vector Aedes albopictus. Genome Biol 2020; 21:215. [PMID: 32847630 PMCID: PMC7448346 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-02141-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus is globally expanding and has become the main vector for human arboviruses in Europe. With limited antiviral drugs and vaccines available, vector control is the primary approach to prevent mosquito-borne diseases. A reliable and accurate DNA sequence of the Ae. albopictus genome is essential to develop new approaches that involve genetic manipulation of mosquitoes. RESULTS We use long-read sequencing methods and modern scaffolding techniques (PacBio, 10X, and Hi-C) to produce AalbF2, a dramatically improved assembly of the Ae. albopictus genome. AalbF2 reveals widespread viral insertions, novel microRNAs and piRNA clusters, the sex-determining locus, and new immunity genes, and enables genome-wide studies of geographically diverse Ae. albopictus populations and analyses of the developmental and stage-dependent network of expression data. Additionally, we build the first physical map for this species with 75% of the assembled genome anchored to the chromosomes. CONCLUSION The AalbF2 genome assembly represents the most up-to-date collective knowledge of the Ae. albopictus genome. These resources represent a foundation to improve understanding of the adaptation potential and the epidemiological relevance of this species and foster the development of innovative control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umberto Palatini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Reem A Masri
- Department of Entomology and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Luciano V Cosme
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511-8934, USA
| | - Sergey Koren
- Genome Informatics Section, Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892-2152, MD, USA
| | - Françoise Thibaud-Nissen
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20894, MD, USA
| | - James K Biedler
- Department of Entomology and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Flavia Krsticevic
- Department of Entomology, Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - J Spencer Johnston
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Rebecca Halbach
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Anna-Bella Failloux
- Department of Virology, Arbovirus and Insect Vectors Units, Institut Pasteur, Paris, 75015, France
| | - Elisa Pischedda
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Michele Marconcini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Jay Ghurye
- Genome Informatics Section, Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892-2152, MD, USA
| | - Arang Rhie
- Genome Informatics Section, Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892-2152, MD, USA
| | - Atashi Sharma
- Department of Entomology and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Dmitry A Karagodin
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics of Insects, The Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Jeremy Jenrette
- Department of Entomology and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Stephanie Gamez
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0349, USA
| | - Pascal Miesen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick Masterson
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20894, MD, USA
| | - Adalgisa Caccone
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511-8934, USA
| | - Maria V Sharakhova
- Department of Entomology and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics of Insects, The Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
- Laboratory of Ecology, Genetics and Environment Protection, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, 634041, Russia
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Department of Entomology and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Philippos A Papathanos
- Department of Entomology, Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ronald P Van Rij
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0349, USA
| | - Jeffrey Powell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511-8934, USA
| | - Adam M Phillippy
- Genome Informatics Section, Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892-2152, MD, USA
| | - Mariangela Bonizzoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy.
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14
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Nix alone is sufficient to convert female Aedes aegypti into fertile males and myo-sex is needed for male flight. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:17702-17709. [PMID: 32661163 PMCID: PMC7395513 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2001132117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of a dominant male-determining locus (M-locus) in one of a pair of autosomes establishes the male sex in the dengue fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. The Ae. aegypti M-locus contains 30 genes, including Nix, a previously reported male-determining factor. Here we show that the Nix transgene alone was sufficient to convert females into fertile males, which continued to produce sex-converted progeny. We also show that a second M-locus gene named myo-sex was needed for male flight. Nix-mediated sex conversion was 100% penetrant, heritable, and stable, indicating great potential for developing mosquito-control strategies to reduce vector populations by female-to-male conversion. This work also sheds lights into the molecular basis of the function of the M-locus. A dominant male-determining locus (M-locus) establishes the male sex (M/m) in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Nix, a gene in the M-locus, was shown to be a male-determining factor (M factor) as somatic knockout of Nix led to feminized males (M/m) while transient expression of Nix resulted in partially masculinized females (m/m), with male reproductive organs but retained female antennae. It was not clear whether any of the other 29 genes in the 1.3-Mb M-locus are also needed for complete sex-conversion. Here, we report the generation of multiple transgenic lines that express Nix under the control of its own promoter. Genetic and molecular analyses of these lines provided insights unattainable from previous transient experiments. We show that the Nix transgene alone, in the absence of the M-locus, was sufficient to convert females into males with all male-specific sexually dimorphic features and male-like gene expression. The converted m/m males are flightless, unable to perform the nuptial flight required for mating. However, they were able to father sex-converted progeny when presented with cold-anesthetized wild-type females. We show that myo-sex, a myosin heavy-chain gene also in the M-locus, was required for male flight as knockout of myo-sex rendered wild-type males flightless. We also show that Nix-mediated female-to-male conversion was 100% penetrant and stable over many generations. Therefore, Nix has great potential for developing mosquito control strategies to reduce vector populations by female-to-male sex conversion, or to aid in a sterile insect technique that requires releasing only non-biting males.
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15
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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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16
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Ruzzante L, Reijnders MJ, Waterhouse RM. Of Genes and Genomes: Mosquito Evolution and Diversity. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:32-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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17
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Gomulski LM, Mariconti M, Di Cosimo A, Scolari F, Manni M, Savini G, Malacrida AR, Gasperi G. The Nix locus on the male-specific homologue of chromosome 1 in Aedes albopictus is a strong candidate for a male-determining factor. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:647. [PMID: 30583734 PMCID: PMC6304787 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3215-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Global concern over the rapid expansion of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and its vector competence has highlighted an urgent need to improve currently available population control methods, like the Sterile Insect Technique. Knowledge of the sex determination cascade is a prerequisite for the development of early-stage sexing systems. To this end, we have characterised the putative sex determination gene, Nix, in this species. In Aedes species the chromosome complement consists of three pairs of chromosomes. The sex determination alleles are linked to the smallest homomorphic chromosome. Results We identified the male-specific chromosome 1 of Ae. albopictus that carries the putative male-determining gene Nix. We have also characterised the complete genomic sequence of the Nix gene which is composed of two exons and a short intron. The gene displays different levels of intron retention during development. Comparison of DNA sequences covering most of the Nix gene from individuals across the species range revealed no polymorphism. Conclusions Our characterisation of the Nix gene in Ae. albopictus represents an initial step in the analysis of the sex determination cascade in this species. We found evidence of intron retention (IR) in Nix. IR might play a role in regulating the expression of Nix during development. Our results provide the basis for the development of new genetic control strategies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3215-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludvik M Gomulski
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Marina Mariconti
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Di Cosimo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Scolari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mosè Manni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Grazia Savini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna R Malacrida
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giuliano Gasperi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
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18
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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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19
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Miller JR, Koren S, Dilley KA, Puri V, Brown DM, Harkins DM, Thibaud-Nissen F, Rosen B, Chen XG, Tu Z, Sharakhov IV, Sharakhova MV, Sebra R, Stockwell TB, Bergman NH, Sutton GG, Phillippy AM, Piermarini PM, Shabman RS. Analysis of the Aedes albopictus C6/36 genome provides insight into cell line utility for viral propagation. Gigascience 2018; 7:1-13. [PMID: 29329394 PMCID: PMC5869287 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/gix135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The 50-year-old Aedes albopictus C6/36 cell line is a resource for the detection, amplification, and analysis of mosquito-borne viruses including Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. The cell line is derived from an unknown number of larvae from an unspecified strain of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Toward improved utility of the cell line for research in virus transmission, we present an annotated assembly of the C6/36 genome. Results The C6/36 genome assembly has the largest contig N50 (3.3 Mbp) of any mosquito assembly, presents the sequences of both haplotypes for most of the diploid genome, reveals independent null mutations in both alleles of the Dicer locus, and indicates a male-specific genome. Gene annotation was computed with publicly available mosquito transcript sequences. Gene expression data from cell line RNA sequence identified enrichment of growth-related pathways and conspicuous deficiency in aquaporins and inward rectifier K+ channels. As a test of utility, RNA sequence data from Zika-infected cells were mapped to the C6/36 genome and transcriptome assemblies. Host subtraction reduced the data set by 89%, enabling faster characterization of nonhost reads. Conclusions The C6/36 genome sequence and annotation should enable additional uses of the cell line to study arbovirus vector interactions and interventions aimed at restricting the spread of human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R Miller
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 9714 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.,College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV 25443, USA
| | - Sergey Koren
- Genome Informatics Section, Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kari A Dilley
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 9714 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Vinita Puri
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 9714 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - David M Brown
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 9714 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Derek M Harkins
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 9714 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | | | - Benjamin Rosen
- USDA 10300 Baltimore Ave., Bldg 306 Barc-East, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
| | - Xiao-Guang Chen
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Department of Biochemistry and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Department of Entomology and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Laboratory of Ecology, Genetics and Environmental Protection, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Maria V Sharakhova
- Department of Entomology and the Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Laboratory of Ecology, Genetics and Environmental Protection, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Robert Sebra
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | | | | | - Granger G Sutton
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 9714 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Adam M Phillippy
- Genome Informatics Section, Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Peter M Piermarini
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 9714 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.,Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
| | - Reed S Shabman
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 9714 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.,ATCC, 217 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, USA
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20
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Matthews BJ, Dudchenko O, Kingan SB, Koren S, Antoshechkin I, Crawford JE, Glassford WJ, Herre M, Redmond SN, Rose NH, Weedall GD, Wu Y, Batra SS, Brito-Sierra CA, Buckingham SD, Campbell CL, Chan S, Cox E, Evans BR, Fansiri T, Filipović I, Fontaine A, Gloria-Soria A, Hall R, Joardar VS, Jones AK, Kay RGG, Kodali VK, Lee J, Lycett GJ, Mitchell SN, Muehling J, Murphy MR, Omer AD, Partridge FA, Peluso P, Aiden AP, Ramasamy V, Rašić G, Roy S, Saavedra-Rodriguez K, Sharan S, Sharma A, Smith ML, Turner J, Weakley AM, Zhao Z, Akbari OS, Black WC, Cao H, Darby AC, Hill CA, Johnston JS, Murphy TD, Raikhel AS, Sattelle DB, Sharakhov IV, White BJ, Zhao L, Aiden EL, Mann RS, Lambrechts L, Powell JR, Sharakhova MV, Tu Z, Robertson HM, McBride CS, Hastie AR, Korlach J, Neafsey DE, Phillippy AM, Vosshall LB. Improved reference genome of Aedes aegypti informs arbovirus vector control. Nature 2018; 563:501-507. [PMID: 30429615 PMCID: PMC6421076 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0692-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 315] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infect more than 400 million people each year with dangerous viral pathogens including dengue, yellow fever, Zika and chikungunya. Progress in understanding the biology of mosquitoes and developing the tools to fight them has been slowed by the lack of a high-quality genome assembly. Here we combine diverse technologies to produce the markedly improved, fully re-annotated AaegL5 genome assembly, and demonstrate how it accelerates mosquito science. We anchored physical and cytogenetic maps, doubled the number of known chemosensory ionotropic receptors that guide mosquitoes to human hosts and egg-laying sites, provided further insight into the size and composition of the sex-determining M locus, and revealed copy-number variation among glutathione S-transferase genes that are important for insecticide resistance. Using high-resolution quantitative trait locus and population genomic analyses, we mapped new candidates for dengue vector competence and insecticide resistance. AaegL5 will catalyse new biological insights and intervention strategies to fight this deadly disease vector. An improved, fully re-annotated Aedes aegypti genome assembly (AaegL5) provides insights into the sex-determining M locus, chemosensory systems that help mosquitoes to hunt humans and loci involved in insecticide resistance and will help to generate intervention strategies to fight this deadly disease vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Matthews
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA. .,Kavli Neural Systems Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Olga Dudchenko
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Sergey Koren
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - William J Glassford
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Margaret Herre
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.,Kavli Neural Systems Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Seth N Redmond
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Noah H Rose
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.,Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Gareth D Weedall
- Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Yang Wu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Sanjit S Batra
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Carlos A Brito-Sierra
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.,Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Steven D Buckingham
- Centre for Respiratory Biology, UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, UK
| | - Corey L Campbell
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Saki Chan
- Bionano Genomics, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Eric Cox
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin R Evans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Thanyalak Fansiri
- Vector Biology and Control Section, Department of Entomology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Igor Filipović
- Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Albin Fontaine
- Insect-Virus Interactions Group, Department of Genomes and Genetics, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Unité de Parasitologie et Entomologie, Département des Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Marseille, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 2000, Paris, France.,Aix Marseille Université, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, UMR Vecteurs - Infections Tropicales et Méditerranéennes (VITROME), IHU - Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Andrea Gloria-Soria
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Vinita S Joardar
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Andrew K Jones
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Raissa G G Kay
- Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Vamsi K Kodali
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joyce Lee
- Bionano Genomics, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Gareth J Lycett
- Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | | | | | - Michael R Murphy
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Arina D Omer
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Frederick A Partridge
- Centre for Respiratory Biology, UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Aviva Presser Aiden
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Vidya Ramasamy
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Gordana Rašić
- Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sourav Roy
- Department of Entomology, Center for Disease Vector Research and Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Karla Saavedra-Rodriguez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Shruti Sharan
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.,Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Atashi Sharma
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | | | - Joe Turner
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Zhilei Zhao
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.,Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Omar S Akbari
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - William C Black
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Han Cao
- Bionano Genomics, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Alistair C Darby
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Catherine A Hill
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.,Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - J Spencer Johnston
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Terence D Murphy
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alexander S Raikhel
- Department of Entomology, Center for Disease Vector Research and Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - David B Sattelle
- Centre for Respiratory Biology, UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, UK
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Laboratory of Ecology, Genetics and Environmental Protection, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | | | - Li Zhao
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Erez Lieberman Aiden
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Richard S Mann
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Louis Lambrechts
- Insect-Virus Interactions Group, Department of Genomes and Genetics, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 2000, Paris, France
| | - Jeffrey R Powell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Maria V Sharakhova
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Laboratory of Ecology, Genetics and Environmental Protection, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Hugh M Robertson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Carolyn S McBride
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.,Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel E Neafsey
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adam M Phillippy
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Leslie B Vosshall
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA.,Kavli Neural Systems Institute, New York, NY, USA
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21
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Turner J, Krishna R, Van't Hof AE, Sutton ER, Matzen K, Darby AC. The sequence of a male-specific genome region containing the sex determination switch in Aedes aegypti. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:549. [PMID: 30342535 PMCID: PMC6195999 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3090-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Aedes aegypti is the principal vector of several important arboviruses. Among the methods of vector control to limit transmission of disease are genetic strategies that involve the release of sterile or genetically modified non-biting males, which has generated interest in manipulating mosquito sex ratios. Sex determination in Ae. aegypti is controlled by a non-recombining Y chromosome-like region called the M locus, yet characterisation of this locus has been thwarted by the repetitive nature of the genome. In 2015, an M locus gene named Nix was identified that displays the qualities of a sex determination switch. Results With the use of a whole-genome bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library, we amplified and sequenced a ~200 kb region containing the male-determining gene Nix. In this study, we show that Nix is comprised of two exons separated by a 99 kb intron primarily composed of repetitive DNA, especially transposable elements. Conclusions Nix, an unusually large and highly repetitive gene, exhibits features in common with Y chromosome genes in other organisms. We speculate that the lack of recombination at the M locus has allowed the expansion of repeats in a manner characteristic of a sex-limited chromosome, in accordance with proposed models of sex chromosome evolution in insects. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3090-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Turner
- Centre for Genomic Research, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK.,Oxitec Ltd., 71 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RQ, UK
| | - Ritesh Krishna
- Centre for Genomic Research, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK.,IBM Research UK, STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK
| | - Arjen E Van't Hof
- Centre for Genomic Research, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK.,Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Elizabeth R Sutton
- Oxitec Ltd., 71 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RQ, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.,Sistemic, West of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow, G20 0SP, UK
| | - Kelly Matzen
- Oxitec Ltd., 71 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RQ, UK
| | - Alistair C Darby
- Centre for Genomic Research, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK.
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22
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Fontaine A, Filipovic I, Fansiri T, Hoffmann AA, Cheng C, Kirkpatrick M, Rašic G, Lambrechts L. Extensive Genetic Differentiation between Homomorphic Sex Chromosomes in the Mosquito Vector, Aedes aegypti. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:2322-2335. [PMID: 28945882 PMCID: PMC5737474 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms and evolutionary dynamics of sex-determination systems are of particular interest in insect vectors of human pathogens like mosquitoes because novel control strategies aim to convert pathogen-transmitting females into nonbiting males, or rely on accurate sexing for the release of sterile males. In Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue and Zika viruses, sex determination is governed by a dominant male-determining locus, previously thought to reside within a small, nonrecombining, sex-determining region (SDR) of an otherwise homomorphic sex chromosome. Here, we provide evidence that sex chromosomes in Ae. aegypti are genetically differentiated between males and females over a region much larger than the SDR. Our linkage mapping intercrosses failed to detect recombination between X and Y chromosomes over a 123-Mbp region (40% of their physical length) containing the SDR. This region of reduced male recombination overlapped with a smaller 63-Mbp region (20% of the physical length of the sex chromosomes) displaying high male–female genetic differentiation in unrelated wild populations from Brazil and Australia and in a reference laboratory strain originating from Africa. In addition, the sex-differentiated genomic region was associated with a significant excess of male-to-female heterozygosity and contained a small cluster of loci consistent with Y-specific null alleles. We demonstrate that genetic differentiation between sex chromosomes is sufficient to assign individuals to their correct sex with high accuracy. We also show how data on allele frequency differences between sexes can be used to estimate linkage disequilibrium between loci and the sex-determining locus. Our discovery of large-scale genetic differentiation between sex chromosomes in Ae. aegypti lays a new foundation for mapping and population genomic studies, as well as for mosquito control strategies targeting the sex-determination pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albin Fontaine
- Department of Genomes and Genetics, Insect-Virus Interactions Group, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Département des Maladies Infectieuses, Unité de Parasitologie et Entomologie, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Marseille, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, URA 3012, Paris, France.,Aix Marseille Université, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, AP-HM, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, France
| | - Igor Filipovic
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thanyalak Fansiri
- Department of Entomology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Changde Cheng
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin
| | | | - Gordana Rašic
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group, School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louis Lambrechts
- Department of Genomes and Genetics, Insect-Virus Interactions Group, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, URA 3012, Paris, France
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23
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Campbell CL, Dickson LB, Lozano-Fuentes S, Juneja P, Jiggins FM, Black WC. Alternative patterns of sex chromosome differentiation in Aedes aegypti (L). BMC Genomics 2017; 18:943. [PMID: 29202694 PMCID: PMC5716240 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-4348-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Some populations of West African Aedes aegypti, the dengue and zika vector, are reproductively incompatible; our earlier study showed that divergence and rearrangements of genes on chromosome 1, which bears the sex locus (M), may be involved. We also previously described a proposed cryptic subspecies SenAae (PK10, Senegal) that had many more high inter-sex FST genes on chromosome 1 than did Ae.aegypti aegypti (Aaa, Pai Lom, Thailand). The current work more thoroughly explores the significance of those findings. Results Intersex standardized variance (FST) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was characterized from genomic exome capture libraries of both sexes in representative natural populations of Aaa and SenAae. Our goal was to identify SNPs that varied in frequency between males and females, and most were expected to occur on chromosome 1. Use of the assembled AaegL4 reference alleviated the previous problem of unmapped genes. Because the M locus gene nix was not captured and not present in AaegL4, the male-determining locus, per se, was not explored. Sex-associated genes were those with FST values ≥ 0.100 and/or with increased expected heterozygosity (Hexp, one-sided T-test, p < 0.05) in males. There were 85 genes common to both collections with high inter-sex FST values; all genes but one were located on chromosome 1. Aaa showed the expected cluster of high inter-sex FST genes proximal to the M locus, whereas SenAae had inter-sex FST genes along the length of chromosome 1. In addition, the Aaa M-locus proximal region showed increased Hexp levels in males, whereas SenAae did not. In SenAae, chromosomal rearrangements and subsequent suppressed recombination may have accelerated X-Y differentiation. Conclusions The evidence presented here is consistent with differential evolution of proto-Y chromosomes in Aaa and SenAae. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-4348-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey L Campbell
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Campus Delivery 1692, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
| | - Laura B Dickson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Campus Delivery 1692, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Saul Lozano-Fuentes
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Campus Delivery 1692, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Punita Juneja
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Francis M Jiggins
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
| | - William C Black
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Campus Delivery 1692, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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24
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The sex locus is tightly linked to factors conferring sex-specific lethal effects in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Heredity (Edinb) 2016; 117:408-416. [PMID: 27485667 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2016.57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Revised: 05/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In many taxa, sex chromosomes are heteromorphic and largely non-recombining. Evolutionary models predict that spread of recombination suppression on the Y chromosome is fueled by the accumulation of sexually antagonistic alleles in close linkage to the sex determination region. However, empirical evidence for the existence of sexually antagonistic alleles is scarce. In the mosquito Aedes aegypti, the sex-determining chromosomes are homomorphic. The region of suppressed recombination, which surrounds the male-specific sex-determining gene, remains very small, despite ancient origin of the sex chromosomes in the Aedes lineage. We conducted a genetic analysis of the A. aegypti chromosome region tightly linked to the sex locus. We used a strain with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged transgene inserted near the male-determining gene to monitor crossing-over events close to the boundary of the sex-determining region (SDR), and to trace the inheritance pattern of the transgene in relation to sex. In a series of crossing experiments involving individuals with a recombinant sex chromosome we found developmental abnormalities leading to 1:2 sex biases, caused by lethality of half of the male or female progeny. Our results suggest that various factors causing sex-specific lethal effects are clustered within the neighborhood of the SDR, which in the affected sex are likely lost or gained through recombination, leading to death. These may include genes that are recessive lethal, vital for development and/or sexually antagonistic. The sex chromosome fragment in question represents a fascinating test case for the analysis of processes that shape stable boundaries of a non-recombining region.
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25
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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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26
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Jiang X, Biedler JK, Qi Y, Hall AB, Tu Z. Complete Dosage Compensation in Anopheles stephensi and the Evolution of Sex-Biased Genes in Mosquitoes. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 7:1914-24. [PMID: 26078263 PMCID: PMC4524482 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evv115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Complete dosage compensation refers to hyperexpression of the entire X or Z chromosome in organisms with heterogametic sex chromosomes (XY male or ZW female) in order to compensate for having only one copy of the X or Z chromosome. Recent analyses suggest that complete dosage compensation, as in Drosophila melanogaster, may not be the norm. There has been no systematic study focusing on dosage compensation in mosquitoes. However, analysis of dosage compensation in Anopheles mosquitoes provides opportunities for evolutionary insights, as the X chromosome of Anopheles and that of its Dipteran relative, D. melanogaster formed independently from the same ancestral chromosome. Furthermore, Culicinae mosquitoes, including the Aedes genus, have homomorphic sex-determining chromosomes, negating the need for dosage compensation. Thus, Culicinae genes provide a rare phylogenetic context to investigate dosage compensation in Anopheles mosquitoes. Here, we performed RNA-seq analysis of male and female samples of the Asian malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi and the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. Autosomal and X-linked genes in An. stephensi showed very similar levels of expression in both males and females, indicating complete dosage compensation. The uniformity of average expression levels of autosomal and X-linked genes remained when An. stephensi gene expression was normalized by that of their Ae. aegypti orthologs, strengthening the finding of complete dosage compensation in Anopheles. In addition, we comparatively analyzed the differentially expressed genes between adult males and adult females in both species, investigated sex-biased gene chromosomal distribution patterns in An. stephensi and provided three examples where gene duplications may have enabled the acquisition of sex-specific expression during mosquito evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofang Jiang
- Program of Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - James K Biedler
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Yumin Qi
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Andrew Brantley Hall
- Program of Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Program of Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
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27
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Smeds L, Warmuth V, Bolivar P, Uebbing S, Burri R, Suh A, Nater A, Bureš S, Garamszegi LZ, Hogner S, Moreno J, Qvarnström A, Ružić M, Sæther SA, Sætre GP, Török J, Ellegren H. Evolutionary analysis of the female-specific avian W chromosome. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7330. [PMID: 26040272 PMCID: PMC4468903 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The typically repetitive nature of the sex-limited chromosome means that it is often excluded from or poorly covered in genome assemblies, hindering studies of evolutionary and population genomic processes in non-recombining chromosomes. Here, we present a draft assembly of the non-recombining region of the collared flycatcher W chromosome, containing 46 genes without evidence of female-specific functional differentiation. Survival of genes during W chromosome degeneration has been highly non-random and expression data suggest that this can be attributed to selection for maintaining gene dose and ancestral expression levels of essential genes. Re-sequencing of large population samples revealed dramatically reduced levels of within-species diversity and elevated rates of between-species differentiation (lineage sorting), consistent with low effective population size. Concordance between W chromosome and mitochondrial DNA phylogenetic trees demonstrates evolutionary stable matrilineal inheritance of this nuclear–cytonuclear pair of chromosomes. Our results show both commonalities and differences between W chromosome and Y chromosome evolution. The evolution of non-recombining chromosomes is poorly understood. Here, the authors sequence the collared flycatcher female-specific W chromosome and show nonrandom survival of genes during W chromosome degeneration which is due to selection for maintaining gene dose and expression levels of essential genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linnéa Smeds
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vera Warmuth
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Paulina Bolivar
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Severin Uebbing
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Reto Burri
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Alexander Suh
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Alexander Nater
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Stanislav Bureš
- Laboratory of Ornithology, Department of Zoology, Palacky University, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Laszlo Z Garamszegi
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Silje Hogner
- 1] Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway [2] Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Juan Moreno
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Milan Ružić
- Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia, Radnička 20a, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Stein-Are Sæther
- 1] Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway [2] Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), 7034 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Glenn-Peter Sætre
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Janos Török
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Hans Ellegren
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
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28
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Hall AB, Basu S, Jiang X, Qi Y, Timoshevskiy VA, Biedler JK, Sharakhova MV, Elahi R, Anderson MAE, Chen XG, Sharakhov IV, Adelman ZN, Tu Z. SEX DETERMINATION. A male-determining factor in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Science 2015; 348:1268-70. [PMID: 25999371 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa2850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Sex determination in the mosquito Aedes aegypti is governed by a dominant male-determining factor (M factor) located within a Y chromosome-like region called the M locus. Here, we show that an M-locus gene, Nix, functions as an M factor in A. aegypti. Nix exhibits persistent M linkage and early embryonic expression, two characteristics required of an M factor. Nix knockout with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 resulted in largely feminized genetic males and the production of female isoforms of two key regulators of sexual differentiation: doublesex and fruitless. Ectopic expression of Nix resulted in genetic females with nearly complete male genitalia. Thus, Nix is both required and sufficient to initiate male development. This study provides a foundation for mosquito control strategies that convert female mosquitoes into harmless males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Brantley Hall
- Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Sanjay Basu
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Xiaofang Jiang
- Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Yumin Qi
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Vladimir A Timoshevskiy
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James K Biedler
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Maria V Sharakhova
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Rubayet Elahi
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Michelle A E Anderson
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Xiao-Guang Chen
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Zach N Adelman
- Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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29
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Forneris NS, Otero G, Pereyra A, Repetto G, Rabossi A, Quesada-Allué LA, Basso AL. High chromosomal variation in wild horn fly Haematobiairritans (Linnaeus) (Diptera, Muscidae) populations. COMPARATIVE CYTOGENETICS 2015; 9:31-50. [PMID: 25893073 PMCID: PMC4387379 DOI: 10.3897/compcytogen.v9i1.8535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Accepted: 12/04/2014] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The horn fly, Haematobiairritans is an obligate haematophagous cosmopolitan insect pest. The first reports of attacks on livestock by Haematobiairritans in Argentina and Uruguay occurred in 1991, and since 1993 it is considered an economically important pest. Knowledge on the genetic characteristics of the horn fly increases our understanding of the phenotypes resistant to insecticides that repeatedly develop in these insects. The karyotype of Haematobiairritans, as previously described using flies from an inbred colony, shows a chromosome complement of 2n=10 without heterochromosomes (sex chromosomes). In this study, we analyze for the first time the chromosome structure and variation of four wild populations of Haematobiairritans recently established in the Southern Cone of South America, collected in Argentina and Uruguay. In these wild type populations, we confirmed and characterized the previously published "standard" karyotype of 2n=10 without sex chromosomes; however, surprisingly a supernumerary element, called B-chromosome, was found in about half of mitotic preparations. The existence of statistically significant karyotypic diversity was demonstrated through the application of orcein staining, C-banding and H-banding. This study represents the first discovery and characterization of horn fly karyotypes with 2n=11 (2n=10+B). All spermatocytes analyzed showed 5 chromosome bivalents, and therefore, 2n=10 without an extra chromosome. Study of mitotic divisions showed that some chromosomal rearrangements affecting karyotype structure are maintained as polymorphisms, and multiple correspondence analyses demonstrated that genetic variation was not associated with geographic distribution. Because it was never observed during male meiosis, we hypothesize that B-chromosome is preferentially transmitted by females and that it might be related to sex determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia S. Forneris
- Cátedra de Genética, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE CABA, Argentina
| | - Gabriel Otero
- Cátedra de Genética, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE CABA, Argentina
| | - Ana Pereyra
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE CABA, Argentina
| | - Gustavo Repetto
- Cátedra de Genética, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE CABA, Argentina
| | - Alejandro Rabossi
- IIBBA-CONICET, Fundación Instituto Leloir and Dept. Biological Chemistry, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Patricias Argentinas 435, C1405BWE CABA, Argentina
| | - Luis A. Quesada-Allué
- IIBBA-CONICET, Fundación Instituto Leloir and Dept. Biological Chemistry, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Patricias Argentinas 435, C1405BWE CABA, Argentina
| | - Alicia L. Basso
- Cátedra de Genética, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE CABA, Argentina
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