1
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Smidler AL, Marrogi E, Kauffman J, Paton DG, Westervelt KA, Church GM, Esvelt KM, Shaw WR, Catteruccia F. CRISPR-mediated germline mutagenesis for genetic sterilization of Anopheles gambiae males. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4057. [PMID: 38374393 PMCID: PMC10876656 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54498-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Rapid spread of insecticide resistance among anopheline mosquitoes threatens malaria elimination efforts, necessitating development of alternative vector control technologies. Sterile insect technique (SIT) has been successfully implemented in multiple insect pests to suppress field populations by the release of large numbers of sterile males, yet it has proven difficult to adapt to Anopheles vectors. Here we outline adaptation of a CRISPR-based genetic sterilization system to selectively ablate male sperm cells in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. We achieve robust mosaic biallelic mutagenesis of zero population growth (zpg, a gene essential for differentiation of germ cells) in F1 individuals after intercrossing a germline-expressing Cas9 transgenic line to a line expressing zpg-targeting gRNAs. Approximately 95% of mutagenized males display complete genetic sterilization, and cause similarly high levels of infertility in their female mates. Using a fluorescence reporter that allows detection of the germline leads to a 100% accurate selection of spermless males, improving the system. These males cause a striking reduction in mosquito population size when released at field-like frequencies in competition cages against wild type males. These findings demonstrate that such a genetic system could be adopted for SIT against important malaria vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L Smidler
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Biology, University of California - San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Eryney Marrogi
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jamie Kauffman
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Douglas G Paton
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Kathleen A Westervelt
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - George M Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kevin M Esvelt
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - W Robert Shaw
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
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2
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Smidler AL, Apte RA, Pai JJ, Chow ML, Chen S, Mondal A, Sánchez C. HM, Antoshechkin I, Marshall JM, Akbari OS. Eliminating Malaria Vectors with Precision Guided Sterile Males. bioRxiv 2023:2023.07.20.549947. [PMID: 37503146 PMCID: PMC10370176 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.20.549947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Controlling the principal African malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, is considered essential to curtail malaria transmission. However existing vector control technologies rely on insecticides, which are becoming increasingly ineffective. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is a powerful suppression approach that has successfully eradicated a number of insect pests, yet the A. gambiae toolkit lacks the requisite technologies for its implementation. SIT relies on iterative mass-releases of non-biting, non-driving, sterile males which seek out and mate with monandrous wild females. Once mated, females are permanently sterilized due to mating-induced refractoriness, which results in population suppression of the subsequent generation. However, sterilization by traditional methods renders males unfit, making the creation of precise genetic sterilization methods imperative. Here we develop precision guided Sterile Insect Technique (pgSIT) in the mosquito A. gambiae for inducible, programmed male-sterilization and female-elimination for wide scale use in SIT campaigns. Using a binary CRISPR strategy, we cross separate engineered Cas9 and gRNA strains to disrupt male-fertility and female-essential genes, yielding >99.5% male-sterility and >99.9% female-lethality in hybrid progeny. We demonstrate that these genetically sterilized males have good longevity, are able to induce population suppression in cage trials, and are predicted to eliminate wild A. gambiae populations using mathematical models, making them ideal candidates for release. This work provides a valuable addition to the malaria genetic biocontrol toolkit, for the first time enabling scalable SIT-like confinable suppression in the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L. Smidler
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Reema A. Apte
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - James J. Pai
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Martha L. Chow
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Sanle Chen
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Agastya Mondal
- Divisions of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Héctor M. Sánchez C.
- Divisions of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125, USA
| | - John M. Marshall
- Divisions of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
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3
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Smidler AL, Pai JJ, Apte RA, Sánchez C. HM, Corder RM, Jeffrey Gutiérrez E, Thakre N, Antoshechkin I, Marshall JM, Akbari OS. A confinable female-lethal population suppression system in the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eade8903. [PMID: 37406109 PMCID: PMC10321730 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade8903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is among the world's deadliest diseases, predominantly affecting Sub-Saharan Africa and killing over half a million people annually. Controlling the principal vector, the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, as well as other anophelines, is among the most effective methods to control disease spread. Here, we develop a genetic population suppression system termed Ifegenia (inherited female elimination by genetically encoded nucleases to interrupt alleles) in this deadly vector. In this bicomponent CRISPR-based approach, we disrupt a female-essential gene, femaleless (fle), demonstrating complete genetic sexing via heritable daughter gynecide. Moreover, we demonstrate that Ifegenia males remain reproductively viable and can load both fle mutations and CRISPR machinery to induce fle mutations in subsequent generations, resulting in sustained population suppression. Through modeling, we demonstrate that iterative releases of nonbiting Ifegenia males can act as an effective, confinable, controllable, and safe population suppression and elimination system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L. Smidler
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - James J. Pai
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Reema A. Apte
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Héctor M. Sánchez C.
- Divisions of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Rodrigo M. Corder
- Divisions of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Eileen Jeffrey Gutiérrez
- Divisions of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Oxitec Ltd., Abingdon, OX14 4RQ, UK
| | - Neha Thakre
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - John M. Marshall
- Divisions of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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4
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Smidler AL, Paton DG, Church GM, Esvelt KM, Shaw WR, Catteruccia F. CRISPR-mediated germline mutagenesis for genetic sterilization of Anopheles gambiae males. bioRxiv 2023:2023.06.13.544841. [PMID: 37398131 PMCID: PMC10312776 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.13.544841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Rapid spread of insecticide resistance among anopheline mosquitoes threatens malaria elimination efforts, necessitating development of alternative vector control technologies. Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) has been successfully implemented in multiple insect pests to suppress field populations by the release of large numbers of sterile males, yet it has proven difficult to adapt to Anopheles vectors. Here we outline adaptation of a CRISPR-based genetic sterilization system to selectively ablate male sperm cells in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. We achieve robust mosaic biallelic mutagenesis of zero population growth (zpg, a gene essential for differentiation of germ cells) in F1 individuals after intercrossing a germline-expressing Cas9 transgenic line to a line expressing zpg-targeting gRNAs. Approximately 95% of mutagenized males display complete genetic sterilization, and cause similarly high levels of infertility in their female mates. Using a fluorescence reporter that allows detection of the germline leads to a 100% accurate selection of spermless males, improving the system. These males cause a striking reduction in mosquito population size when released at field-like frequencies in competition cages against wild type males. These findings demonstrate that such a genetic system could be adopted for SIT against important malaria vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L Smidler
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Douglas G Paton
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - George M Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kevin M Esvelt
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - W Robert Shaw
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase MD 20815, USA
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase MD 20815, USA
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5
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Brogan DJ, Chaverra-Rodriguez D, Lin CP, Smidler AL, Yang T, Alcantara LM, Antoshechkin I, Liu J, Raban RR, Belda-Ferre P, Knight R, Komives EA, Akbari OS. Development of a Rapid and Sensitive CasRx-Based Diagnostic Assay for SARS-CoV-2. ACS Sens 2021; 6:3957-3966. [PMID: 34714054 PMCID: PMC8577378 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c01088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The development of an extensive toolkit for potential point-of-care diagnostics that is expeditiously adaptable to new emerging pathogens is of critical public health importance. Recently, a number of novel CRISPR-based diagnostics have been developed to detect SARS-CoV-2. Herein, we outline the development of an alternative CRISPR nucleic acid diagnostic utilizing a Cas13d ribonuclease derived from Ruminococcus flavefaciens XPD3002 (CasRx) to detect SARS-CoV-2, an approach we term SENSR (sensitive enzymatic nucleic acid sequence reporter) that can detect attomolar concentrations of SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrate 100% sensitivity in patient-derived samples by lateral flow and fluorescence readout with a detection limit of 45 copy/μL. This technology expands the available nucleic acid diagnostic toolkit, which can be adapted to combat future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Brogan
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La
Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Duverney Chaverra-Rodriguez
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La
Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Calvin P. Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
92092, United States
| | - Andrea L. Smidler
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La
Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Ting Yang
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La
Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Lenissa M. Alcantara
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La
Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
91125, United States
| | - Junru Liu
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La
Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Robyn R. Raban
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La
Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Pedro Belda-Ferre
- Department of Pediatrics, University of
California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92161, United
States
| | - Rob Knight
- Department of Pediatrics, University of
California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92161, United
States
- Center for Microbiome Innovation,
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
92093, United States
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering,
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
92093, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University
of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United
States
| | - Elizabeth A. Komives
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,
University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
92092, United States
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La
Jolla, California 92093, United States
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6
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Brogan DJ, Chaverra-Rodriguez D, Lin CP, Smidler AL, Yang T, Alcantara LM, Antoshechkin I, Liu J, Raban RR, Belda-Ferre P, Knight R, Komives EA, Akbari OS. A Sensitive, Rapid, and Portable CasRx-based Diagnostic Assay for SARS-CoV-2. medRxiv 2020:2020.10.14.20212795. [PMID: 33106816 PMCID: PMC7587836 DOI: 10.1101/2020.10.14.20212795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Since its first emergence from China in late 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread globally despite unprecedented containment efforts, resulting in a catastrophic worldwide pandemic. Successful identification and isolation of infected individuals can drastically curtail virus spread and limit outbreaks. However, during the early stages of global transmission, point-of-care diagnostics were largely unavailable and continue to remain difficult to procure, greatly inhibiting public health efforts to mitigate spread. Furthermore, the most prevalent testing kits rely on reagent- and time-intensive protocols to detect viral RNA, preventing rapid and cost-effective diagnosis. Therefore the development of an extensive toolkit for point-of-care diagnostics that is expeditiously adaptable to new emerging pathogens is of critical public health importance. Recently, a number of novel CRISPR-based diagnostics have been developed to detect COVID-19. Herein, we outline the development of a CRISPR-based nucleic acid molecular diagnostic utilizing a Cas13d ribonuclease derived from Ruminococcus flavefaciens (CasRx) to detect SARS-CoV-2, an approach we term SENSR (Sensitive Enzymatic Nucleic-acid Sequence Reporter). We demonstrate SENSR robustly detects SARS-CoV-2 sequences in both synthetic and patient-derived samples by lateral flow and fluorescence, thus expanding the available point-of-care diagnostics to combat current and future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Brogan
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Duverney Chaverra-Rodriguez
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Calvin P Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92092
| | - Andrea L Smidler
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Ting Yang
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Lenissa M. Alcantara
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Igor Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Junru Liu
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Robyn R Raban
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Pedro Belda-Ferre
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Rob Knight
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Elizabeth A Komives
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92092
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
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7
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Greppi C, Laursen WJ, Budelli G, Chang EC, Daniels AM, van Giesen L, Smidler AL, Catteruccia F, Garrity PA. Mosquito heat seeking is driven by an ancestral cooling receptor. Science 2020; 367:681-684. [PMID: 32029627 PMCID: PMC8092076 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay9847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Mosquitoes transmit pathogens that kill >700,000 people annually. These insects use body heat to locate and feed on warm-blooded hosts, but the molecular basis of such behavior is unknown. Here, we identify ionotropic receptor IR21a, a receptor conserved throughout insects, as a key mediator of heat seeking in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae Although Ir21a mediates heat avoidance in Drosophila, we find it drives heat seeking and heat-stimulated blood feeding in Anopheles At a cellular level, Ir21a is essential for the detection of cooling, suggesting that during evolution mosquito heat seeking relied on cooling-mediated repulsion. Our data indicate that the evolution of blood feeding in Anopheles involves repurposing an ancestral thermoreceptor from non-blood-feeding Diptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Greppi
- Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Willem J Laursen
- Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Gonzalo Budelli
- Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Elaine C Chang
- Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Abigail M Daniels
- Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Lena van Giesen
- Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | - Andrea L Smidler
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Paul A Garrity
- Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA.
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8
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Noble C, Min J, Olejarz J, Buchthal J, Chavez A, Smidler AL, DeBenedictis EA, Church GM, Nowak MA, Esvelt KM. Daisy-chain gene drives for the alteration of local populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:8275-8282. [PMID: 30940750 PMCID: PMC6486765 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1716358116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
If they are able to spread in wild populations, CRISPR-based gene-drive elements would provide new ways to address ecological problems by altering the traits of wild organisms, but the potential for uncontrolled spread tremendously complicates ethical development and use. Here, we detail a self-exhausting form of CRISPR-based drive system comprising genetic elements arranged in a daisy chain such that each drives the next. "Daisy-drive" systems can locally duplicate any effect achievable by using an equivalent self-propagating drive system, but their capacity to spread is limited by the successive loss of nondriving elements from one end of the chain. Releasing daisy-drive organisms constituting a small fraction of the local wild population can drive a useful genetic element nearly to local fixation for a wide range of fitness parameters without self-propagating spread. We additionally report numerous highly active guide RNA sequences sharing minimal homology that may enable evolutionarily stable daisy drive as well as self-propagating CRISPR-based gene drive. Especially when combined with threshold dependence, daisy drives could simplify decision-making and promote ethical use by enabling local communities to decide whether, when, and how to alter local ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charleston Noble
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - John Min
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Media Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Jason Olejarz
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Joanna Buchthal
- Media Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Alejandro Chavez
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Andrea L Smidler
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115
| | | | - George M Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115;
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Martin A Nowak
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Kevin M Esvelt
- Media Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
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9
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Werling K, Shaw WR, Itoe MA, Westervelt KA, Marcenac P, Paton DG, Peng D, Singh N, Smidler AL, South A, Deik AA, Mancio-Silva L, Demas AR, March S, Calvo E, Bhatia SN, Clish CB, Catteruccia F. Steroid Hormone Function Controls Non-competitive Plasmodium Development in Anopheles. Cell 2019; 177:315-325.e14. [PMID: 30929905 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Transmission of malaria parasites occurs when a female Anopheles mosquito feeds on an infected host to acquire nutrients for egg development. How parasites are affected by oogenetic processes, principally orchestrated by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), remains largely unknown. Here we show that Plasmodium falciparum development is intimately but not competitively linked to processes shaping Anopheles gambiae reproduction. We unveil a 20E-mediated positive correlation between egg and oocyst numbers; impairing oogenesis by multiple 20E manipulations decreases parasite intensities. These manipulations, however, accelerate Plasmodium growth rates, allowing sporozoites to become infectious sooner. Parasites exploit mosquito lipids for faster growth, but they do so without further affecting egg development. These results suggest that P. falciparum has adopted a non-competitive evolutionary strategy of resource exploitation to optimize transmission while minimizing fitness costs to its mosquito vector. Our findings have profound implications for currently proposed control strategies aimed at suppressing mosquito populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Werling
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - W Robert Shaw
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Maurice A Itoe
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kathleen A Westervelt
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Perrine Marcenac
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Douglas G Paton
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Duo Peng
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Naresh Singh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrea L Smidler
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Adam South
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Amy A Deik
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Liliana Mancio-Silva
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Allison R Demas
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sandra March
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Eric Calvo
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Sangeeta N Bhatia
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA; Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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10
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Abstract
Background Malaria parasites, transmitted by the bite of an anopheline mosquito, pose an immense public health burden on many tropical and subtropical regions. The most important malaria vectors in sub-Saharan Africa are mosquitoes of the Anopheles gambiae complex including An. gambiae (sensu stricto). Given the increasing rates of insecticide resistance in these mosquitoes, alternative control strategies based on the release of genetically modified males are being evaluated to stop transmission by these disease vectors. These strategies rely on the mating competitiveness of release males, however currently there is no method to determine male mating success without sacrificing the female. Interestingly, unlike other insects, during mating An. gambiae males transfer their male accessory glands (MAGs) seminal secretions as a coagulated mating plug which is deposited in the female atrium. Results Here we exploit this male reproductive feature and validate the use of a MAG-specific promoter to fluorescently label the mating plug and visualize the occurrence of insemination in vivo. We used the promoter region of the major mating plug protein, Plugin, to control the expression of a Plugin-tdTomato (PluTo) fusion protein, hypothesizing that this fusion protein could be incorporated into the plug for sexual transfer to the female. Anopheles gambiae PluTo transgenic males showed strong red fluorescence specifically in the MAGs and with a pattern closely matching endogenous Plugin expression. Moreover, the fusion protein was integrated into the mating plug and transferred to the female atrium during mating where it could be visualized microscopically in vivo without sacrificing the female. PluTo males were equally as competitive at mating as wild type males, and females mated to these males did not show any reduction in reproductive fitness. Conclusion The validation of the first MAG-specific promoter in transgenic An. gambiae facilitates the live detection of successful insemination hours after copulation has occurred. This provides a valuable tool for the assessment of male mating competitiveness not only in laboratory experiments but also in semi-field and field studies aimed at testing the feasibility of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes for disease control. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3218-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L Smidler
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sean N Scott
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Enzo Mameli
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA, USA
| | - W Robert Shaw
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA, USA.
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11
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Abstract
Gene drives may be capable of addressing ecological problems by altering entire populations of wild organisms, but their use has remained largely theoretical due to technical constraints. Here we consider the potential for RNA-guided gene drives based on the CRISPR nuclease Cas9 to serve as a general method for spreading altered traits through wild populations over many generations. We detail likely capabilities, discuss limitations, and provide novel precautionary strategies to control the spread of gene drives and reverse genomic changes. The ability to edit populations of sexual species would offer substantial benefits to humanity and the environment. For example, RNA-guided gene drives could potentially prevent the spread of disease, support agriculture by reversing pesticide and herbicide resistance in insects and weeds, and control damaging invasive species. However, the possibility of unwanted ecological effects and near-certainty of spread across political borders demand careful assessment of each potential application. We call for thoughtful, inclusive, and well-informed public discussions to explore the responsible use of this currently theoretical technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Esvelt
- Synthetic Biology
Platform, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired
Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United
States
| | - Andrea L Smidler
- Synthetic Biology
Platform, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired
Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United
States; Department of Immunology and
Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public
Health, Boston, United States
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious
Diseases, Harvard School of Public
Health, Boston, United States;
Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Scienze
Biochimiche, Università degli Studi di
Perugia, Terni, Italy
| | - George M Church
- Synthetic Biology
Platform, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired
Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United
States
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