학술논문

Targeting sex determination to suppress mosquito populations.
Document Type
Article
Source
eLife. 1/30/2024, p1-19. 19p.
Subject
*SEX determination
*MOSQUITOES
*AEDES aegypti
*YELLOW fever
*MOSQUITO control
*DISEASE vectors
Language
ISSN
2050-084X
Abstract
Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with arboviruses such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika, which are all primarily spread by the notorious mosquito Aedes aegypti. Traditional control measures have proven insufficient, necessitating innovations. In response, here we generate a next-generation CRISPR-based precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) for Ae. aegypti that disrupts genes essential for sex determination and fertility, producing predominantly sterile males that can be deployed at any life stage. Using mathematical models and empirical testing, we demonstrate that released pgSIT males can effectively compete with, suppress, and eliminate caged mosquito populations. This versatile species-specific platform has the potential for field deployment to effectively control wild populations of disease vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]