Technology Characterisation

In recent years, innovation in genetic engineering brought forth a number of technologies to manipulate the fate of entire wild typeWild type populations. These technologies rely on the dissemination of synthetic genetic elements within a population of sexually reproducing species via the germline and are identified as Self-Propagating Artificial Genetic Elements (SPAGESelf-Propagating Artificial Genetic Elements (SPAGE)). Some secure their dissemination passively so that only offspring carrying the SPAGESelf-Propagating Artificial Genetic Elements (SPAGE) will survive or be fertile. Others overcome the limitations of the Mendelian inheritance pattern by a distortion of allelic segregation or a fragmentation of chromosomes, resulting in e.g. an altered sex ratio. Genetic elements may also promote their preferred inheritance by a molecular mechanism. If a SPAGESelf-Propagating Artificial Genetic Elements (SPAGE) overcomes the Mendelian pattern of inheritance and is thereby enabled to spread and distribute a novel traits throughout a population – even defying natural selection – it is called a gene drive. If organisms have a comparably short generation time, as e.g. insects, then already after a few months, a large part of the population could express a new property transmitted by the gene drive. In particular, very invasivegene drives may be able to impose properties on entire populations that otherwise could not spread.

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