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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Alternative Techniques and Options for Risk Reduction of Gene Drives
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk assessmentBernd Giese, Arnim von Gleich and Johannes L. Frieß, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
In this chapter, we analyse and compare different types of gene drives as well as promising alternative approaches that may provide a reduced risk.
Limits of Knowledge and Tipping Points in the Risk Assessment of Gene Drive Organisms
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Risk assessmentArnim von Gleich and Winfried Schröder, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
New challengesTipping point in the risk assessment of genetically engineered (GE) organisms are expected to emerge in the context of so-called ‘gene drives’. Based on a review of findings from current knowledge of GE organisms, it is concluded that the risk assessment of gene ...
Steps Towards a Precautionary Risk Governance of SPAGE Technologies Including Gene-Drives
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Risk assessmentArnim von Gleich, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
In view of the rapid dynamics of genetic engineering development (in particular regarding the ‘new gene-technologies’ gene editing, self-propagating artificial genetic elements (SPAGESelf-Propagating Artificial Genetic Elements (SPAGE)) and synthetic biology), the question is ...
Model Concepts for Gene Drive Dynamics
Tags: Gene drive syntheticJohnannes L. Frieß, Merle Preu and Broder Breckling, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
The GeneTip project works on the conception and design modeling of population dynamics influenced by gene drives. In this pursuit, multiple different approaches and concepts have been developed to on one hand, be able to cover a broad perspective on the topic but on the other ...
Case Study 2: Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.)
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive synthetic, Risk assessmentJohnannes L. Frieß, Broder Breckling, Kathrin Pascher and Windfried Schröder, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
SPAGESelf-Propagating Artificial Genetic Elements (SPAGE) (Self-Propagating Artificial Genetic Element) technologies allow for a proliferation of genetic information on the populationPopulation level at a higher rate than usual Mendelian inheritanceMendelian inheritance. ...
Case Study 1: Olive Fruit Fly (Bactrocera oleae)
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Population genetics/dynamicsMerle Preu, Johannes L. Frieß, Broder Breckling and Winfried Schröder, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
The olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae is a phytophagous insect associated to olive trees (Olea europaea, Oleaceae). Its larvae monophagously feed on olive fruits, the fly is therefore considered the most severe pest of olive cultivation causing tremendous economic losses. The ...
Vulnerability Analysis of Ecological Systems
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk assessmentCarina R. Lalyer, Arnim von gleich, Bernd Giese, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
Vulnerability analysis can be seen as the counterpart to technology characterization. Technology characterisation scrutinises the intervening technology. Vulnerability analyses potentially affected systems. That may be socio-ecological, socio-technical, socio-economic or other ...
Gene Drives Touching Tipping Points
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Regulation, Risk assessmentBrodee Breckling, Arnim von Gleich,, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
Tipping points and tipping elements, phase transitions and similar critical phenomena are widely discussed in scientific as well as socio-economic contexts as components to understand unforeseen far reaching changes and critical transitions from one stage into another in complex ...
Technology Characterisation
Tags: Gene drive syntheticJohannes L. Frieß, Bernd Giese, Arnim von Gleich, Gene Drives at Tipping Point, 2020.
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 ...
Gene Drives at Tipping Points
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk assessmentAmin von Gleich and Winfried Schroder, Gene Drives at Tipping Points, 2020.
This open access book reports on a pilot project aiming at collecting information on the socio-ecological risks that could arise in the event of an uncontrolled spread of genetically engineered organisms into the environment. The researchers will, for instance, be taking a closer ...
The Enterprise: A massive transposon carrying Spokt meiotic drive genes
Tags: Selfish genetic elements, Toxin-antidote, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiA. A. Vogan, S. L. Ament-Velásquez, E. Bastiaans, O. Wallerman, S. J. Saupe, A. Suh and H. Johannesson, bioRxiv, 2020.03.25.007153. 2020.
Previously, we described a large genomic feature called the Spok block which is notable due to the presence of meiotic drive genes of the Spok gene family. The Spok block ranges from 110 kb to 247 kb and can be present in at least four different genomic locations within P. ...
The yeast mating-type switching endonuclease HO is a domesticated member of an unorthodox homing genetic element family
Tags: Replicator/site directed nuclease, Yeast and FungiA. Y. Coughlan, L. Lombardi, S. Braun-Galleani, A. A. R. Martos, V. Galeote, F. Bigey, S. Dequin, K. P. Byrne and K. H. Wolfe, eLife, 9:e55336. 2020.
The mating-type switching endonuclease HO plays a central role in the natural life cycle of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but its evolutionary origin is unknown. HO is a recent addition to yeast genomes, present in only a few genera close to Saccharomyces. Here we show that HO is ...
Mosquito-Borne Diseases Emergence/Resurgence and How to Effectively Control It Biologically
Tags: Aedes, Anopheles, Pest management, Resistance, Vector control, WolbachiaH. Dahmana and O. Mediannikov, Pathogens, 9:26. 2020.
Deadly pathogens and parasites are transmitted by vectors and the mosquito is considered the most threatening vector in public health, transmitting these pathogens to humans and animals. We are currently witnessing the emergence/resurgence in new regions/populations of the most ...
Opinions of key stakeholders on alternative interventions for malaria control and elimination in Tanzania
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Stakeholder engagement, Vector controlM. F. Finda, N. Christofides, J. Lezaun, B. Tarimo, P. Chaki, A. H. Kelly, N. Kapologwe, P. Kazyoba, B. Emidi and F. O. Okumu, Malaria Journal, 19:164. 2020.
Malaria control in Tanzania currently relies primarily on long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying, alongside effective case management and behaviour change communication. This study explored opinions of key stakeholders on the national progress towards malaria ...
Development and testing of a novel killer–rescue self-limiting gene drive system in Drosophila melanogaster
Tags: Fruit fly, Gene drive synthetic, Toxin-antidoteS. H. Webster, M. R. Vella and M. J. Scott, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287:20192994. 2020.
Here we report the development and testing of a novel self-limiting gene drive system, Killer–Rescue (K–R), in Drosophila melanogaster. This system is composed of an autoregulated Gal4 Killer (K) and a Gal4-activated Gal80 Rescue (R). Overexpression of Gal4 is lethal, but in ...
Selfish genes and sexual selection: the impact of genomic parasites on host reproduction
Tags: Genomics, Population genetics/dynamics, Resistance, Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortion, WolbachiaN. Wedell, Journal of Zoology, 311:1-12. 2020.
Selfish genetic elements (SGEs) such as replicating mobile elements, segregation distorters and maternally inherited endosymbionts, bias their transmission success relative to the rest of the genome to increase in representation in subsequent generations. As such, they generate ...
Spatio-temporal controllability and environmental risk assessment of genetically engineered gene drive organisms from the perspective of EU GMO Regulation
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk assessmentC. Then, K. Kawall and N. Valenzuela, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 2020.
Gene drive organisms are a recent development created by using methods of genetic engineering; they inherit genetic constructs that are passed on to future generations with a higher probability than with Mendelian inheritance. There are some specific challenges inherent to the ...
Natural gene drives offer potential pathogen control strategies in plants
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Yeast and FungiD. M. Gardiner, A. Rusu, L. Barrett, G. C. Hunter and K. Kazan, bioRxiv, 2020.
Globally, fungal pathogens cause enormous crop losses and current control practices are not always effective, economical or environmentally sustainable. Tools enabling genetic management of wild pathogen populations could potentially solve many problems associated with plant ...
Efficient production of male Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes enables large-scale suppression of wild populations
Tags: Aedes, Incompatible insect technique, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaJ. E. Crawford, D. W. Clarke, V. Criswell, M. Desnoyer, D. Cornel, B. Deegan, K. Gong, K. C. Hopkins, P. Howell, et al., Nature Biotechnology, 38:482-492. 2020.
The range of the mosquito Aedes aegypti continues to expand, putting more than two billion people at risk of arboviral infection. The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been used to successfully combat agricultural pests at large scale, but not mosquitoes, mainly because of ...
Engineering multiple species-like genetic incompatibilities in insects
Tags: Fruit fly, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic incompatibilities, Regulation, Toxin-antidote, UnderdominanceM. Maselko, N. Feltman, A. Upadhyay, A. Hayward, S. Das, N. Myslicki, A. J. Peterson, M. B. O’Connor and M. J. Smanski, bioRxiv, 2020.
Speciation constrains the flow of genetic information between populations of sexually reproducing organisms. Gaining control over mechanisms of speciation would enable new strategies to manage wild populations of disease vectors, agricultural pests, and invasive species. ...

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