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Hollingsworth BD, Grubaugh ND, Lazzaro BP, Murdock CC. Leveraging insect-specific viruses to elucidate mosquito population structure and dynamics. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011588. [PMID: 37651317 PMCID: PMC10470969 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Several aspects of mosquito ecology that are important for vectored disease transmission and control have been difficult to measure at epidemiologically important scales in the field. In particular, the ability to describe mosquito population structure and movement rates has been hindered by difficulty in quantifying fine-scale genetic variation among populations. The mosquito virome represents a possible avenue for quantifying population structure and movement rates across multiple spatial scales. Mosquito viromes contain a diversity of viruses, including several insect-specific viruses (ISVs) and "core" viruses that have high prevalence across populations. To date, virome studies have focused on viral discovery and have only recently begun examining viral ecology. While nonpathogenic ISVs may be of little public health relevance themselves, they provide a possible route for quantifying mosquito population structure and dynamics. For example, vertically transmitted viruses could behave as a rapidly evolving extension of the host's genome. It should be possible to apply established analytical methods to appropriate viral phylogenies and incidence data to generate novel approaches for estimating mosquito population structure and dispersal over epidemiologically relevant timescales. By studying the virome through the lens of spatial and genomic epidemiology, it may be possible to investigate otherwise cryptic aspects of mosquito ecology. A better understanding of mosquito population structure and dynamics are key for understanding mosquito-borne disease ecology and methods based on ISVs could provide a powerful tool for informing mosquito control programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon D Hollingsworth
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Cornell Institute for Host Microbe Interaction and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Nathan D Grubaugh
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Brian P Lazzaro
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Cornell Institute for Host Microbe Interaction and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Courtney C Murdock
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Cornell Institute for Host Microbe Interaction and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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Frieß JL, Lalyer CR, Giese B, Simon S, Otto M. Review of gene drive modelling and implications for risk assessment of gene drive organisms. Ecol Modell 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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Vogan AA, Martinossi-Allibert I, Ament-Velásquez SL, Svedberg J, Johannesson H. The spore killers, fungal meiotic driver elements. Mycologia 2022; 114:1-23. [PMID: 35138994 DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2021.1994815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
During meiosis, both alleles of any given gene should have equal chances of being inherited by the progeny. There are a number of reasons why, however, this is not the case, with one of the most intriguing instances presenting itself as the phenomenon of meiotic drive. Genes that are capable of driving can manipulate the ratio of alleles among viable meiotic products so that they are inherited in more than half of them. In many cases, this effect is achieved by direct antagonistic interactions, where the driving allele inhibits or otherwise eliminates the alternative allele. In ascomycete fungi, meiotic products are packaged directly into ascospores; thus, the effect of meiotic drive has been given the nefarious moniker, "spore killing." In recent years, many of the known spore killers have been elevated from mysterious phenotypes to well-described systems at genetic, genomic, and molecular levels. In this review, we describe the known diversity of spore killers and synthesize the varied pieces of data from each system into broader trends regarding genome architecture, mechanisms of resistance, the role of transposable elements, their effect on population dynamics, speciation and gene flow, and finally how they may be developed as synthetic drivers. We propose that spore killing is common, but that it is under-observed because of a lack of studies on natural populations. We encourage researchers to seek new spore killers to build on the knowledge that these remarkable genetic elements can teach us about meiotic drive, genomic conflict, and evolution more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron A Vogan
- Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ivain Martinossi-Allibert
- Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden.,Institut de Biochimie et de Génétique Cellulaire, UMR 5095 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, 33077, Bordeaux CEDEX, France
| | - S Lorena Ament-Velásquez
- Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jesper Svedberg
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, -Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064
| | - Hanna Johannesson
- Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
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Oberhofer G, Ivy T, Hay BA. Gene drive that results in addiction to a temperature-sensitive version of an essential gene triggers population collapse in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2107413118. [PMID: 34845012 PMCID: PMC8670509 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2107413118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
One strategy for population suppression seeks to use gene drive to spread genes that confer conditional lethality or sterility, providing a way of combining population modification with suppression. Stimuli of potential interest could be introduced by humans, such as an otherwise benign virus or chemical, or occur naturally on a seasonal basis, such as a change in temperature. Cleave and Rescue (ClvR) selfish genetic elements use Cas9 and guide RNAs (gRNAs) to disrupt endogenous versions of an essential gene while also including a Rescue version of the essential gene resistant to disruption. ClvR spreads by creating loss-of-function alleles of the essential gene that select against those lacking it, resulting in populations in which the Rescue provides the only source of essential gene function. As a consequence, if function of the Rescue, a kind of Trojan horse now omnipresent in a population, is condition dependent, so too will be the survival of that population. To test this idea, we created a ClvR in Drosophila in which Rescue activity of an essential gene, dribble, requires splicing of a temperature-sensitive intein (TS-ClvRdbe ). This element spreads to transgene fixation at 23 °C, but when populations now dependent on Ts-ClvRdbe are shifted to 29 °C, death and sterility result in a rapid population crash. These results show that conditional population elimination can be achieved. A similar logic, in which Rescue activity is conditional, could also be used in homing-based drive and to bring about suppression and/or killing of specific individuals in response to other stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Oberhofer
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Tobin Ivy
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Bruce A Hay
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
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Verma P, Reeves RG, Gokhale CS. A common gene drive language eases regulatory process and eco-evolutionary extensions. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:156. [PMID: 34372763 PMCID: PMC8351217 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01881-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Synthetic gene drive technologies aim to spread transgenic constructs into wild populations even when they impose organismal fitness disadvantages. The extraordinary diversity of plausible drive mechanisms and the range of selective parameters they may encounter makes it very difficult to convey their relative predicted properties, particularly where multiple approaches are combined. The sheer number of published manuscripts in this field, experimental and theoretical, the numerous techniques resulting in an explosion in the gene drive vocabulary hinder the regulators’ point of view. We address this concern by defining a simplified parameter based language of synthetic drives. Results Employing the classical population dynamics approach, we show that different drive construct (replacement) mechanisms can be condensed and evaluated on an equal footing even where they incorporate multiple replacement drives approaches. Using a common language, it is then possible to compare various model properties, a task desired by regulators and policymakers. The generalization allows us to extend the study of the invasion dynamics of replacement drives analytically and, in a spatial setting, the resilience of the released drive constructs. The derived framework is available as a standalone tool. Conclusion Besides comparing available drive constructs, our tool is also useful for educational purpose. Users can also explore the evolutionary dynamics of future hypothetical combination drive scenarios. Thus, our results appraise the properties and robustness of drives and provide an intuitive and objective way for risk assessment, informing policies, and enhancing public engagement with proposed and future gene drive approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prateek Verma
- Research Group for Theoretical Models of Eco-evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.
| | - R Guy Reeves
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Chaitanya S Gokhale
- Research Group for Theoretical Models of Eco-evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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Naegeli H, Bresson J, Dalmay T, Dewhurst IC, Epstein MM, Guerche P, Hejatko J, Moreno FJ, Mullins E, Nogué F, Rostoks N, Sánchez Serrano JJ, Savoini G, Veromann E, Veronesi F, Bonsall MB, Mumford J, Wimmer EA, Devos Y, Paraskevopoulos K, Firbank LG. Adequacy and sufficiency evaluation of existing EFSA guidelines for the molecular characterisation, environmental risk assessment and post-market environmental monitoring of genetically modified insects containing engineered gene drives. EFSA J 2020; 18:e06297. [PMID: 33209154 PMCID: PMC7658669 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in molecular and synthetic biology are enabling the engineering of gene drives in insects for disease vector/pest control. Engineered gene drives (that bias their own inheritance) can be designed either to suppress interbreeding target populations or modify them with a new genotype. Depending on the engineered gene drive system, theoretically, a genetic modification of interest could spread through target populations and persist indefinitely, or be restricted in its spread or persistence. While research on engineered gene drives and their applications in insects is advancing at a fast pace, it will take several years for technological developments to move to practical applications for deliberate release into the environment. Some gene drive modified insects (GDMIs) have been tested experimentally in the laboratory, but none has been assessed in small-scale confined field trials or in open release trials as yet. There is concern that the deliberate release of GDMIs in the environment may have possible irreversible and unintended consequences. As a proactive measure, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been requested by the European Commission to review whether its previously published guidelines for the risk assessment of genetically modified animals (EFSA, 2012 and 2013), including insects (GMIs), are adequate and sufficient for GDMIs, primarily disease vectors, agricultural pests and invasive species, for deliberate release into the environment. Under this mandate, EFSA was not requested to develop risk assessment guidelines for GDMIs. In this Scientific Opinion, the Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) concludes that EFSA's guidelines are adequate, but insufficient for the molecular characterisation (MC), environmental risk assessment (ERA) and post-market environmental monitoring (PMEM) of GDMIs. While the MC,ERA and PMEM of GDMIs can build on the existing risk assessment framework for GMIs that do not contain engineered gene drives, there are specific areas where further guidance is needed for GDMIs.
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Dhole S, Lloyd AL, Gould F. Gene Drive Dynamics in Natural Populations: The Importance of Density Dependence, Space, and Sex. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2020; 51:505-531. [PMID: 34366722 PMCID: PMC8340601 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-031120-101013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The spread of synthetic gene drives is often discussed in the context of panmictic populations connected by gene flow and described with simple deterministic models. Under such assumptions, an entire species could be altered by releasing a single individual carrying an invasive gene drive, such as a standard homing drive. While this remains a theoretical possibility, gene drive spread in natural populations is more complex and merits a more realistic assessment. The fate of any gene drive released in a population would be inextricably linked to the population's ecology. Given the uncertainty often involved in ecological assessment of natural populations, understanding the sensitivity of gene drive spread to important ecological factors is critical. Here we review how different forms of density dependence, spatial heterogeneity, and mating behaviors can impact the spread of self-sustaining gene drives. We highlight specific aspects of gene drive dynamics and the target populations that need further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Dhole
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
| | - Alun L Lloyd
- Biomathematics Graduate Program and Department of Mathematics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8213, USA
- Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7565, USA
| | - Fred Gould
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
- Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7565, USA
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Rode NO, Courtier-Orgogozo V, Débarre F. Can a Population Targeted by a CRISPR-Based Homing Gene Drive Be Rescued? G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2020; 10:3403-3415. [PMID: 32727921 PMCID: PMC7466991 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
CRISPR-based homing gene drive is a genetic control technique aiming to modify or eradicate natural populations. This technique is based on the release of individuals carrying an engineered piece of DNA that can be preferentially inherited by the progeny. The development of countermeasures is important to control the spread of gene drives, should they result in unanticipated damages. One proposed countermeasure is the introduction of individuals carrying a brake construct that targets and inactivates the drive allele but leaves the wild-type allele unaffected. Here we develop models to investigate the efficiency of such brakes. We consider a variable population size and use a combination of analytical and numerical methods to determine the conditions where a brake can prevent the extinction of a population targeted by an eradication drive. We find that a brake is not guaranteed to prevent eradication and that characteristics of both the brake and the drive affect the likelihood of recovering the wild-type population. In particular, brakes that restore fitness are more efficient than brakes that do not. Our model also indicates that threshold-dependent drives (drives that can spread only when introduced above a threshold) are more amenable to control with a brake than drives that can spread from an arbitrary low introduction frequency (threshold-independent drives). Based on our results, we provide practical recommendations and discuss safety issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas O Rode
- CBGP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Florence Débarre
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences-Paris (IEES Paris), place Jussieu, 75005, France
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