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.
Disclaimer>

Conflicting Kinesin-14s in a single chromosomal drive haplotype

Tags: ,
Meghan J Brady, Anjali Gupta, Jonathan I Gent, et al.,  Genetics,  2025.
In maize, there are 2 meiotic drive systems that target large heterochromatic knobs composed of tandem repeats known as knob180 and TR-1. The first meiotic drive haplotype, abnormal chromosome 10 (Ab10) confers strong meiotic drive (∼75% transmission as a heterozygote) and ...

Evaluating the performance of three packing methods for long-distance transport of sterile adult Aedes albopictus males

Tags: , ,
Mamai, W., Puggioli, A., Wallner, T. et al.,  Scientific Reports,  15. 2025.
This study evaluated the performance of three packing methods for long distance transport of sterile adult Aedes albopictus males, considering the specific effects of pupal vs. adult irradiation and two compaction methods. The results indicated that while transportation ...

Intrinsically weak sex chromosome drive through sequential asymmetric meiosis

Tags: , ,
Xuefeng Meng, Yukiko M. Yamashita,  Science Advances,  11. 2025.
Meiotic drivers are selfish genetic elements that bias their own transmission, violating Mendel’s Law of Equal Segregation. It has long been recognized that sex chromosome–linked drivers present a paradox: Their success in transmission can severely distort populations’ sex ...

Efficient CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing of the cane toad (Rhinella marina)

Tags: , ,
Michael Clark, Alexander T. Funk, Alex Paporakis, et al.,  bioRxiv,  2025.
Invasive species inflict major ecological, economic, social, and cultural harm worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for innovative and effective control strategies. Genome editing offers exciting possibilities for creating highly targeted control methods for invasive species. ...

An animal toxin-antidote system kills cells by creating a novel cation channel

Tags:
Caro L, Wei AD, Thomas CA, Posch G, Uremis A, Franzi MC, et al.,  PLoS Biology,  23. 2025.
Toxin-antidote systems are selfish genetic elements composed of a linked toxin and antidote. The peel-1 zeel-1 toxin-antidote system in C. elegans consists of a transmembrane toxin protein PEEL-1 which acts cell autonomously to kill cells. Here we investigate the molecular ...

Applying the Protective Precautionary Principle to the Ethical Use of Gene Drive Technology for Anopheles gambiae Suppression in Malaria Control

Tags: , , , ,
Nucharee Wongsamut,  Journal of Applied Animal Ethics Research,  2025.
Malaria contributes to poverty and illness, which further hinder productivity and income generation. Therefore, combating malaria is crucial for breaking the vicious cycle of poverty. Genome editing technologies, such as gene drives designed to suppress Anopheles ...

The challenge of measuring mosquito flight performance: going beyond sterile insect technique and into transgenic and gene drive-based approaches

Tags: , ,
Paola Najera, Christian E. Ogaugwu, Tyler F. Chan, et al.,  Open Biology,  15. 2025.
Invasive insects inflict global costs of more than 70 billion USD annually by destroying crops and spreading disease-causing pathogens. Sterile insect technique (SIT), an insect population control method, involves the irradiation or chemical sterilization of insects to produce ...

Paratransgenesis: Overview, Current Perspectives, and Future Research Needs for Malaria Control

Tags: , ,
Oziegbe, O., Okeke, C.C., Esho, D.O.,  Springer, Cham.,  2025.
Malaria is an insect-borne disease (IBD) that is responsible for significant human mortality and morbidity globally. Several effective vector and parasite control strategies have been considered to control malaria. However, paratransgenesis is a strategy targeted towards parasite ...

Assessing the population genetic structure and demographic history of Anopheles gambiae and An. arabiensis at island and mainland populations in Uganda: Implications for testing novel malaria vector control approaches

Tags: , , , ,
Rita Mwima, Tin-Yu J. Hui, Edward Lukyamuzi, et al,  bioRxiv,  2025.
This study collected 2918 Anopheles gambiae and 173 Anopheles. arabiensis across six populations from both the islands on Lake Victoria and mainland Uganda for amplicon sequencing. Large pairwise FST values were observed between the two species, indicating their divergence. We ...

Optimizing larval mass-rearing techniques for Aedes mosquitoes: enhancing production and quality for genetic control strategies

Tags: , , ,
Wadaka Mamai, Cécile Brengues, Hamidou Maiga, et al,  Parasite,  32. 2025.
The quantity and quality of laboratory-reared insects are pivotal for the success of any sterile male-release program. Optimizing larval mass-rearing methods to enhance both production and quality in Aedes mosquitoes is essential to meet the growing demand from FAO/IAEA Member ...

Unstable laboratory Wolbachia strain w-Anga is negatively correlated with Plasmodium falciparum in wild malaria vectors

Tags: , ,
Estelle, D.L., Jacques, G.E., Issiaka, S. et al.,  Scientific Reports,  15. 2025.
Spread of insecticides resistance threatens the control of malaria. In this context, biological control using an endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia is being explored as a complementary method for its control. However, for optimal use of this bacterium in biocontrol strategies, it ...

Suppression of Aedes mosquito populations with the boosted sterile insect technique in tropical and Mediterranean urban areas

Tags: , , , ,
Bouyer, J., Gil, D.A., Mora, I.P. et al.,  Scientific Reports,  15. 2025.
Aedes mosquitoes are the vectors of dengue viruses and other arboviruses, which threaten billions of people all over the world. The boosted sterile insect technique (boosted SIT) is a version of SIT in which irradiated sterile males also transmit a biocide to immature stages. We ...

A male-transmitted B chromosome undergoes strong meiotic drag in females

Tags: ,
Patrick M Ferree, Jayla Cummings, Emma Garman, et al,  bioRxiv,  2025.
Many organisms carry extra, non-essential chromosomes known as B chromosomes (Bs), which are selfishly transmitted at super-Mendelian levels to offspring. This heightened transmission, termed drive, occurs during gametogenesis, usually in one of the two parents. In some cases, Bs ...

Evaluating the impact on F1 sterility of tsetse pupae Glossina morsitans morsitans irradiated following short-term hypoxic conditioning

Tags: ,
Caroline K. Mirieri, Kiswend-sida M. Dera, Vanessa S. Dias, et al,  Insect Science,  2025.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) for tsetse involves releasing sterilized males to outcompete wild males in mating, resulting in nonviable progeny. Balancing optimum sterility and male quality is crucial. While irradiation in hypoxia or anoxia is routine for tephritid flies, ...

Spiroplasma infection in colonized Glossina fuscipes fuscipes: impact on mass rearing and the sterile insect technique

Tags: ,
Kiswend-sida M. Dera, Daouda Tande Barro, Bénéwendé Aristide Kaboré, et al,  Insect Science,  2025.
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) can vector the parasites (Trypanosoma spp.) that cause the socioeconomically devastating neglected tropical diseases human and animal African trypanosomoses. In addition to this parasite, tsetse can harbor four genera of endosymbiotic bacteria, ...

Deliberate extinction by genome modification: An ethical challenge

Tags: ,
Gregory E. Kaebnick et al.,  Science,  388:707-709. 2025.
Among the ways that genome modification could be used to modify wild populations of organisms, the deliberate outcome of fully eradicating a species has received little critical attention. The lack of discussion leaves a difficult ethical question unresolved: When so much ...

Biased tertiary sex ratios enhance the efficacy of sex-ratio distorting genetic techniques to control invasive species

Tags: , , ,
Michael L. Jones, Ronald E. Thresher, Nicholas J. Bax,  Journal of Theoretical Biology,  2025.
Genetic biocontrol strategies are increasingly being developed and tested for reducing the effects of invasive species, and are highly likely to be an important tool of integrated pest management in the future. Included among such strategies are those that distort the sex ratio ...

Overview of the sterile insect technique for Aedes aegypti in Lee County, Florida, USA

Tags: , , ,
Morreale, R., Stenhouse, S., Bajonero, J. et al.,  Infectious Diseases of Poverty,  14. 2025.
Lee County Mosquito Control District (LCMCD) is an independent taxing district that works to protect human health and improve quality of life in Lee County, Florida, USA. With local dengue transmission in southern Florida, LCMCD prioritized the control of Aedes aegypti. Due to ...

Differential elimination of marked sex chromosomes enables production of nontransgenic male mosquitoes in a single strain

Tags: , ,
A. Compton, A. Sharma, M. Hempel, A. Aryan, J.K. Biedler,M.B. Potters, K. Chandrasegaran, C. Vinauger, & Z. Tu,  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,  122. 2025.
Diverse genetic strategies are being pursued to control mosquito-borne infectious diseases. These strategies often rely on the release of nonbiting males to either reduce the target mosquito population or render them resistant to pathogens. Male-only releases are important as any ...

Functional validation of a white pupae minimal gene construct in Ceratitis capitata

Tags: ,
Lucas Henrique Figueiredo Prates, Roswitha A. Aumann, Inga Sievers, et al.,  Insect Science,  2025.
Genetic sexing strains (GSS) are important tools for the sterile insect technique (SIT), an environmentally friendly and species-specific insect pest control method. GSS feature sex-specific phenotypes, enabling sex sorting in mass-rearing facilities and male-only releases, which ...

« First ‹ Previous 1 7 8 9 10 11 19 109 118 Next › Last »