Scholarly Literature
This is a database of scholarly literature that concentrates currently on natural and engineered selfish genetic elements (gene drives). The latest are shown here.
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Selfish evolution of placental hormones
Tags: Other mammals, Selfish genetic elementsG. Keegan and M. M. Patten, Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 10:391-397. 2022.
We hypothesize that some placental hormones—specifically those that arise by tandem duplication of genes for maternal hormones—may behave as gestational drivers, selfish genetic elements that encourage the spontaneous abortion of offspring that fail to inherit them. Such ...
Analysis of Aedes aegypti microRNAs in response to Wolbachia wAlbB infection and their potential role in mosquito longevity
Tags: AedesC. Bishop, M. Hussain, L. E. Hugo and S. Asgari, Scientific Reports, 12:15245. 2022.
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of a range of medically important viruses including dengue, Zika, West Nile, yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses. The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis wAlbB strain is a promising biocontrol agent for blocking viral ...
A detailed landscape of CRISPR-Cas-mediated plant disease and pest management
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive syntheticS. Karmakar, P. Das, D. Panda, K. Xie, M. J. Baig and K. A. Molla, Plant Science, 323:111376. 2022.
Genome editing technology has rapidly evolved to knock-out genes, create targeted genetic variation, install precise insertion/deletion and single nucleotide changes, and perform large-scale alteration. The flexible and multipurpose editing technologies have started playing a ...
On the Mechanistic Basis of Killer Meiotic Drive in Fungi
Tags: Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiS. J. Saupe and H. Johannesson, Annual Review of Microbiology, 76:305-323. 2022.
Spore killers are specific genetic elements in fungi that kill sexual spores that do not contain them. A range of studies in the last few years have provided the long-awaited first insights into the molecular mechanistic aspects of spore killing in different fungal models, ...
Life-history traits of a fluorescent Anopheles arabiensis genetic sexing strain introgressed into South African genomic background
Tags: Anopheles, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlN. L. Ntoyi, T. Mashatola, J. Bouyer, C. Kraupa, H. Maiga, W. Mamai, N. S. Bimbile-Somda, T. Wallner, D. O. Carvalho, G. Munhenga and H. Yamada, Malaria Journal, 21:12. 2022.
Background South Africa has set a mandate to eliminate local malaria transmission by 2023. In pursuit of this objective a Sterile Insect Technique programme targeting the main vector Anopheles arabiensis is currently under development. Significant progress has been made towards ...
Toward product-based regulation of crops
Tags: Agriculture, Gene editing, Genetically modified organisms, Policy, RegulationF. Gould, R. M. Amasino, D. Brossard, C. R. Buell, R. A. Dixon, J. B. Falck-Zepeda, M. A. Gallo, K. E. Giller, L. L. Glenna, T. Griffin, D. Magraw, C. Mallory-Smith, K. V. Pixley, E. P. Ransom, D. M. Stelly and C. N. Stewart, Science, 377:1051-1053. 2022.
Current process-based approaches to regulation are no longer fit for purpose Much effort has been expended globally over the past four decades to craft and update country-specific and multinational safety regulations that can be applied to crops developed by genetic engineering ...
An optimal control problem for dengue transmission model with Wolbachia and vaccination
Tags: Dengue, Modeling, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaJ. Zhang, L. L. Liu, Y. Z. Li and Y. Wang, Communications In Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation, 116. 2022.
The release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes into the wild mosquitoes population is an excellent biological control strategy which can be effective against mosquito-borne infections. In this work, we propose a dengue transmission model that incorporates releasing Wolbachia into ...
An evaluation of fusion partner proteins for paratransgenesis in Asaia bogorensis
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Other SymbiontsC. Grogan, M. Bennett and D. J. Lampe, Plos One, 17:18. 2022.
Mosquitoes transmit many pathogens responsible for human diseases, such as malaria which is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium. Current strategies to control vector-transmitted diseases are increasingly undermined by mosquito and pathogen resistance, so additional ...
Bacterial supergroup-specific “cost” of Wolbachia infections in Nasonia vitripennis
Tags: Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Other Symbionts, WolbachiaA. Tiwary, R. Babu, R. Sen and R. Raychoudhury, Ecology and Evolution, 2022.
Abstract The maternally inherited endosymbiont, Wolbachia, is known to alter the reproductive biology of its arthropod hosts for its own benefit and can induce both positive and negative fitness effects in many hosts. Here, we describe the effects of the maintenance of two ...
Applications of gene drive systems for population suppression of insect pests
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Population suppressionM. Asad, D. Liu, J. Chen and G. Yang, Bulletin of Entomological Research, 2022.
Population suppression is an effective way for controlling insect pests and disease vectors, which cause significant damage to crop and spread contagious diseases to plants, animals and humans. Gene drive systems provide innovative opportunities for the insect pests population ...
A confinable female-lethal population suppression system in the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Modeling, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)A. L. Smidler, J. J. Pai, R. A. Apte, H. M. Sánchez C, R. M. Corder, E. J. Gutiérrez, N. Thakre, I. Antoshechkin, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari, bioRxiv, 2022.08.30.505861. 2022.
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 ...
Rational engineering of a synthetic insect-bacterial mutualism
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Other Symbionts, Synthetic biologyY. Su, H.-C. Lin, L. S. Teh, F. Chevance, I. James, C. Mayfield, K. G. Golic, J. A. Gagnon, O. Rog and C. Dale, Current Biology, 2022.
Summary Many insects maintain mutualistic associations with bacterial endosymbionts, but little is known about how they originate in nature. In this study, we describe the establishment and manipulation of a synthetic insect-bacterial symbiosis in a weevil host. Following egg ...
B Chromosomes in Psalidodon scabripinnis (Characiformes, Characidae) Species Complex
Tags: Chromosomal drive, Fish, Selfish genetic elementsD. Silva, J. P. Castro, C. A. G. Goes, R. Utsunomia, M. R. Vidal, C. N. Nascimento, L. F. Lasmar, F. G. Paim, L. B. Soares, C. Oliveira, F. Porto-Foresti, R. F. Artoni and F. Foresti, Animals (Basel), 12. 2022.
B chromosomes are extra-genomic components of cells found in individuals and in populations of some eukaryotic organisms. They have been described since the first observations of chromosomes, but several aspects of their biology remain enigmatic. Despite being present in hundreds ...
Hoisted with his own petard: How sex-ratio meiotic drive in Drosophila affinis creates resistance alleles that limit its spread
Tags: Fruit fly, Sex distorter, Transmission distortion, X chromosomeW. J. Ma, E. M. Knoles, K. B. Patch, M. M. Shoaib and R. L. Unckless, J Evol Biol, 2022.
Meiotic drivers are selfish genetic elements that tinker with gametogenesis to bias their own transmission into the next generation of offspring. Such tinkering can have significant consequences on gametogenesis and end up hampering the spread of the driver. In Drosophila ...
Genetic Tools for Integrated Management of Pests on Honeybees in the Tropics
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Other arthropods, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Pattabhiramaiah, S. Mallikarjunaiah and D. Brueckner, Genetic Methods and Tools for Managing Crop Pests, 2022.
The Asian honeybee is endemic to Asia where it has been used for honey production and pollination services from time immemorial. They are integral to modern agricultural productivity and to survival and vitality of natural ecosystems. However, recent declines in populations and ...
Infravec2 guidelines for the design and operation of containment level 2 and 3 insectaries in Europe
Tags: Containment, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Policy, RegulationE. Pondeville, A.-B. Failloux, F. Simard, P. Volf, A. Crisanti, R. E. Haghighat-Khah, N. Busquets, F. X. Abad, A. J. Wilson, R. Bellini, S. Marsh Arnaud, A. Kohl and E. Veronesi, Pathogens and Global Health, 2022.
With the current expansion of vector-based research and an increasing number of facilities rearing arthropod vectors and infecting them with pathogens, common measures for containment of arthropods as well as manipulation of pathogens are becoming essential for the design and ...
Outbreaks of arboviruses, biotechnological innovations and vector control: facing the unexpected
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoesC. Boëte, Innovative Strategies for Vector Control, 6:219-231. 2022.
Outbreaks of arboviruses have occurred in the last decades in many places around the world and a variety of responses have been taken in order to control them. Responses ranged from vaccination campaigns to the use of conventional vector control methods. Innovative approaches ...
Precision Guided Sterile Males Suppress Populations of an Invasive Crop Pest
Tags: Agriculture, Fruit fly, Genetic biocontrol, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. P. Kandul, J. Liu, A. Buchman, I. C. Shriner, R. M. Corder, N. Warsinger-Pepe, T. Yang, A. K. Yadav, M. J. Scott, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari, GEN Biotechnology, 1:372-385. 2022.
The Drosophila suzukii invasion of western countries has created an immense agricultural and economic threat to crop production. Despite many attempts to suppress its population, D. suzukii continues to destroy soft-flesh fruits. Precision guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) ...
Environmentally appropriate vector control is facilitated by standard metrics for simulation-based evaluation
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Policy, RegulationV. N. Vásquez, M. R. Reddy and J. M. Marshall, Frontiers in Tropical Diseases, 3. 2022.
As anthropogenic factors contribute to the introduction and expansion of new and established vector species, the geographic incidence of mosquito-borne disease is shifting. Computer simulations, informed by field data where possible, facilitate the cost-effective evaluation of ...
Natural selfish genetic elements should not be defined as gene drives
Tags: Gene drive, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safetyM. A. Wells and R. A. Steinbrecher, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119:e2201142119. 2022.
Gene drives are increasingly discussed in the political realm,and how the term is defined therefore has important impli-cations. The opinion piece from Alphey et al. (1) identifies alack of consensus on the definition and makes explicitchanges in how the terminology is being used ...
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