Researchers convert female mosquitoes to nonbiting males with implications for mosquito control

Virginia Tech researchers have proven that a single gene can convert female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into fertile male mosquitoes and identified a gene needed for male mosquito flight

Male mosquitoes do not bite and are unable to transmit pathogens to humans. Female mosquitoes, on the other hand, are able to bite.

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes require blood to produce eggs, making them the prime carriers of the pathogens that cause Zika and dengue fever in humans.

“The presence of a male-determining locus (M locus) establishes the male sex in Aedes aegypti and the M locus is only inherited by the male offspring, much like the human Y chromosome,” said Zhijian Tu, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

More related to this:

Nix alone is sufficient to convert female Aedes aegypti into fertile males and myo-sex is needed for male flight

Converting endogenous genes of the malaria mosquito into simple non-autonomous gene drives for population replacement

The mutagenic chain reaction: A method for converting heterozygous to homozygous mutations

Cytogenetic analysis of meiotic drive in mosquito, Aedes aegypti

Researchers’ Plan To Release Genetically Engineered American Chestnut Trees in Forests Will Set Dangerous Precedents If Approved