Scholarly Literature
This is an aggregation of scholarly literature from peer-reviewed journals, bioRxiv , medRxiv and arXiv preprint servers focused on natural and engineered selfish genetic elements and genetic biocontrol. New citations are added as they appear. This content is intended for anyone interested in the scholarly literature on gene drive and genetic biocontrol.
An Initial Framework for the Environmental Risk Assessment of Synthetic Biology-Derived Organisms with a Focus on Gene Drives.
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Risk assessmentW. G. Landis, E. A. Brown and S. Eikenbary, Synthetic Biology 2020: Frontiers in Risk Analysis and Governance. Risk, Systems and Decisions., 2019.
We apply the structure of source-stressor-habitat-effect-impact pathway derived from the relative risk model (Landis and Wiegers 2005) and as was demonstrated to be applicable in the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) 2016 report Gene Drives on the ...
An X-linked meiotic drive allele has strong, recessive fitness costs in female Drosophila pseudoobscura
Tags: Evolution, Population genetics/dynamics, Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortionW. Larner, T. Price, L. Holman and N. Wedell, Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 286:9. 2019.
Selfish 'meiotic drive' alleles are transmitted to more than 50% of offspring, allowing them to rapidly invade populations even if they reduce the fitness of individuals carrying them. Theory predicts that drivers should either fix or go extinct, yet some drivers defy these ...
Establishment of Wolbachia Strain wAlbB in Malaysian Populations of Aedes aegypti for Dengue Control
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, WolbachiaW. A. Nazni, A. A. Hoffmann, A. NoorAfizah, Y. L. Cheong, M. V. Mancini, N. Golding, G. M. R. Kamarul, M. A. K. Arif, H. Thohir, H. NurSyamimi, M. Z. ZatilAqmar, M. NurRuqqayah, A. NorSyazwani, A. Faiz, F.-R. M. N. Irfan, S. Rubaaini, N. Nuradila, N. M. N, Current Biology, 29:4241-4248.e5. 2019.
Dengue has enormous health impacts globally. A novel approach to decrease dengue incidence involves the introduction of Wolbachia endosymbionts that block dengue virus transmission into populations of the primary vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The wMel Wolbachia strain has ...
The Competitive Mating of Irradiated Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Halyomorpha halys, for the Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. M. Suckling, M. Cristofaro, G. Roselli, M. C. Levy, A. Cemmi, V. Mazzoni, L. D. Stringer, V. Zeni, C. Ioriatti and G. Anfora, Insects, 10. 2019.
The sterility of eggs and nymphs from gamma-irradiated male Halyomorpha halys was investigated to determine the potential for the sterile insect technique (SIT). Males irradiated at 0, 16, 24 and 32 Gy were placed with untreated virgin females, and egg sterility was determined, ...
Effects of a male meiotic driver on male and female transcriptomes in the house mouse
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive, Gene drive mechanisms, Gene editing, Population genetics/dynamics, Rodents, Transmission distortionA. Lindholm, A. Sutter, S. Kunzel, D. Tautz and H. Rehrauer, Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 286:1-8. 2019.
Not all genetic loci follow Mendel's rules, and the evolutionary consequences of this are not yet fully known. Genomic conflict involving multiple loci is a likely outcome, as restoration of Mendelian inheritance patterns will be selected for, and sexual conflict may also arise ...
Rodent gene drives for conservation: opportunities and data needs
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, RodentsJ. Godwin, M. Serr, K. Barnhill-Dilling, D. V. Blondel, P. R. Brown, K. Campbell, J. Delborne, A. L. Lloyd, K. P. Oh, T. A. A. Prowse, R. Saah and P. Thomas, Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 286:20191606. 2019.
Invasive rodents impact biodiversity, human health and food security worldwide. The biodiversity impacts are particularly significant on islands, which are the primary sites of vertebrate extinctions and where we are reaching the limits of current control technologies. Gene ...
The impact of local population genetic background on the spread of the selfish element Medea-1 in red flour beetles
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Selfish genetic elements, Toxin-antidoteS. A. Cash, M. A. Robert, M. D. Lorenzen and F. Gould, Ecology and Evolution, 12:1-12. 2019.
Selfish genetic elements have been found in the genomes of many species, yet our understanding of their evolutionary dynamics is only partially understood. A number of distinct selfish Medea elements are naturally present in many populations of the red flour beetle (Tribolium ...
The distribution and spread of naturally occurring Medea selfish genetic elements in the United States
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive mechanisms, Selfish genetic elements, Toxin-antidoteS. A. Cash, M. D. Lorenzen and F. Gould, Ecology and Evolution, 9:14407–14416.. 2019.
Selfish genetic elements (SGEs) are DNA sequences that are transmitted to viable offspring in greater than Mendelian frequencies. Medea SGEs occur naturally in some populations of red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and are expected to increase in frequency within populations ...
Meiotic drive mechanisms: lessons from Drosophila
Tags: Transmission distortionC. Courret, C.-H. Chang, K. H.-C. Wei, C. Montchamp-Moreau and A. M. Larracuente, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286:20191430. 2019.
Meiotic drivers are selfish genetic elements that bias their transmission into gametes, often to the detriment of the rest of the genome. The resulting intragenomic conflicts triggered by meiotic drive create evolutionary arms races and shape genome evolution. The phenomenon of ...
Does meiotic drive alter male mate preference?
Tags: Evolution, Fruit fly, Population genetics/dynamics, Transmission distortionS. R. Finnegan, L. Nitsche, M. Mondani, M. F. Camus, K. Fowler and A. Pomiankowski, Behavioral Ecology, 13:194-201. 2019.
Male mate preferences have been demonstrated across a range of species, including the Malaysian stalk-eyed fly, Teleopsis dalmanni. This species is subject to sex-ratio (SR), an X-linked male meiotic driver, which causes the dysfunction of Y-sperm and the production of all-female ...
Fitness consequences of the selfish supergene Segregation Distorter
Tags: Evolution, Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortionH. W. S. Wong and L. Holman, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 33:89-100. 2019.
Segregation distorters are selfish genetic elements that subvert Mendelian inheritance, often by destroying gametes that do not carry the distorter. Simple theoretical models predict that distorter alleles will either spread to fixation or stabilize at some high intermediate ...
Evolutionary simulations of Z-linked suppression gene drives
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Other arthropods, Resistance, Selfish genetic elementsL. Holman, Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 286:1-9. 2019.
Synthetic gene drives may soon be used to suppress or eliminate populations of disease vectors, pathogens, invasive species, and agricultural pests. Recent proposals have focused on using Z-linked gene drives to control species with ZW sex determination, which include ...
Peri-Urban Community Attitudes towards Codling Moth Trapping and Suppression Using the Sterile Insect Technique in New Zealand
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Policy, Risk assessment, Stakeholder engagementG. Paterson, G. L. W. Perry, J. T. S. Walker and D. M. Suckling, Insects, 10. 2019.
New, more socially-acceptable technologies are being developed to suppress horticultural pests, because suppression is technically difficult with current technologies, especially in urban areas. One technique involves the release of sterile insects to prevent offspring in the ...
Efforts to enhance safety measures for CRISPR/Cas-based gene drive technology in Japan
Tags: Ethics, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Risk and safetyT. Tanaka, N. Tanaka, Y. Nagano, H. Kanuka, D. S. Yamamoto, N. Yamamoto, E. Nanba and T. Nishiuch, Journal of Environment and Safety, 2019.
Gene drive is a powerful system that can spread a desirable genetic trait into an entire species and/or population of a certain region, bypassing Mendelian rules of inheritance. Recently, one of the genome editing technologies, CRISPR/Cas, has been developed, making it easier to ...
Gene Drives: Dynamics and Regulatory Matters-A Report from the Workshop “Evaluation of Spatial and Temporal Control of Gene Drives,” April 4-5, 2019, Vienna
Tags: Gene drive, Modeling, Policy, Population genetics/dynamics, Regulation, Risk and safety, Synthetic biologyB. Giese, J. L. Friess, N. H. Barton, P. W. Messer, F. Debarre, M. F. Schetelig, N. Windbichler, H. Meimberg and C. Boete, Bioessays, 41:3. 2019.
Gene Drives are regarded as future tools with a high potential for population control. Due to their inherent ability to overcome the rules of Mendelian inheritance, gene drives (GD) may spread genes rapidly through populations of sexually reproducing organisms. A release of ...
Two unresolved issues in community engagement for field trials of genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Ethics, Field trials, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Genetically modified organisms, Stakeholder engagementD. B. Resnik, Pathogens and Global Health, 113:238-245. 2019.
There is an emerging consensus among scientists, ethicists, and public health officials that substantive and effective engagement with communities and the wider public is required prior to releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into the environment.
Threshold-Dependent Gene Drives in the Wild: Spread, Controllability, and Ecological Uncertainty
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Toxin-antidoteG. A. Backus and J. A. Delborne, BioScience, 69:900-907. 2019.
Gene drive technology could allow the intentional spread of a desired gene throughout an entire wild population in relatively few generations. However, there are major concerns that gene drives could either fail to spread or spread without restraint beyond the targeted ...
Mosquito Control
Dye-Braumuller K, Fredregill C, Debboun M., Mosquitoes, Communities, and Public Health in Texas, 8:249-278. 2019.Globally, mosquito control has evolved over centuries, as humans have learned more about the world’s deadliest animal,that is, the mosquito, and the pathogens they are capable of transmitting. Mosquitoes not only transmit pathogens but also cause severe allergic reactions, ...
Malaria eradication within a generation: ambitious, achievable, and necessary
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, MalariaR. G. A. Feachem, I. Chen, O. Akbari, A. Bertozzi-Villa, S. Bhatt, F. Binka, M. F. Boni, C. Buckee, J. Dieleman, A. Dondorp, A. Eapen, N. Sekhri Feachem, S. Filler, P. Gething, R. Gosling, A. Haakenstad, K. Harvard, A. Hatefi, D. Jamison, K. E. Jones, C., Lancet, 394:1056-1112. 2019.
50 years after a noble but flawed attempt to eradicate malaria in the mid-20th century, the global malaria community is once again seriously considering eradication. Momentum towards eradication has been building for decades, and more than half of the world’s countries are now ...
Standard deviations: The biological bases of transmission ratio distortion
Tags: Genetic incompatibilities, Selfish genetic elements, Sex distorter, Transmission distortionL. Fishman and M. McIntosh, Annual Review of Genetics, 53:347-372. 2019.
The rule of Mendelian inheritance is remarkably robust, but deviations from the equal transmission of alternative alleles at a locus [a.k.a. transmission ratio distortion (TRD)] are also commonly observed in genetic mapping populations. Such TRD reveals locus-specific selection ...
Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Risk and safety, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. R. Evans, P. Kotsakiozi, A. L. Costa-da-Silva, R. S. Ioshino, L. Garziera, M. C. Pedrosa, A. Malavasi, J. F. Virginio, M. L. Capurro and J. R. Powell, Scientific Reports, 9:6. 2019.
We genotyped the release strain and the target Jacobina population before releases began for >21,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genetic sampling from the target population six, 12, and 27-30 months after releases commenced provides clear evidence that portions of the ...
Twenty-five Years of Research Experience with the Sterile Insect Technique and Area-Wide Management of Codling Moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), in Canada
Tags: Ecology, Mosquito husbandry, MothsH. M. A. Thistlewood and G. J. R. Judd, Insects, 10:292. 2019.
The advent of novel genetic methods has led to renewed interest in the sterile insect technique (SIT) for management of insect pests, owing to applications in mass rearing and in the production of sterile offspring without use of irradiation. An area-wide management programme for ...
A 2017 horizon scan of emerging issues for global conservation and biological diversity
Tags: Agriculture, Ecology, Evolution, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, GeneticsSutherland, WJB, P.; Broad, S.; Clout, M.; Connor, B.; Cote, I. M.; Dicks, L. V.; Doran, H.; Entwistle, A. C.; Fleishman, E.; Fox, M.; Gaston, K. J.; Gibbons, D. W.; Jiang, Z.; Keim, B.; Lickorish, F. A.; Markillie, P.; Monk, K. A.; Pearce-Higgins, J. W.; Peck, L. S.; Pretty, J.; Spalding, M. D.; Tonneijck, F. H.; Wintle, B. C.; Ockendon, N., Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 32:31-40. 2019.
We present the results of our eighth annual horizon scan of emerging issues likely to affect global biological diversity, the environment, and conservation efforts in the future. The potential effects of these novel issues might not yet be fully recognized or understood by the ...
Herbicide resistant weeds: A call to integrate conventional agricultural practices, molecular biology knowledge and new technologies
Tags: Agriculture, Biodiversity/Conservation, Ecology, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic engineeringV. E. Perotti, A. S. Larran, V. E. Palmieri, A. K. Martinatto and H. R. Permingeat, Plant Science, 290:110255. 2019.
Herbicide resistant (HR) weeds are of major concern in modern agriculture. This situation is exacerbated by the massive adoption of herbicide-based technologies along with the overuse of a few active ingredients to control weeds over vast areas year after year. Also, many other ...
A natural gene drive system influences bovine tuberculosis susceptibility in African buffalo: Possible implications for disease management
Tags: Ecology, Evolution, Gene drive mechanisms, Transmission distortionP. van Hooft, W. M. Getz, B. J. Greyling and A. D. S. Bastos, PLoS One, 14:e0221168. 2019.
Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is endemic to the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) and Kruger National Park, South Africa. In HiP, the disease has been actively managed since 1999 through a test-and-cull procedure targeting BTB-positive buffalo. Prior ...
Engineered action at a distance: Blood-meal-inducible paralysis in Aedes aegypti
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R. E. Haghighat-Khah, T. Harvey-Samuel, S. Basu, O. StJohn, S. Scaife, S. Verkuijl, E. Lovett and L. Alphey, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 13:e0007579. 2019.
Here we demonstrate that it is possible to engineer ‘non-cell autonomous’ effectors–that is where the effect (e.g. the action of a toxic protein) can act on cells distant from the tissues in which they are originally expressed. To achieve this we utilised the endogenous ...
Autonomy of Nations and Indigenous Peoples and the Environmental Release of Genetically Engineered Animals with Gene Drives
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagementZ. Meghani, Global Policy, 10:554-568. 2019.
This article contends that the environmental release of genetically engineered (GE) animals with heritable traits that are patented will present a challenge to the efforts of nations and indigenous peoples to engage in self-determination. The environmental release of such animals ...
Synthetic Biology: Research Needs for Assessing Environmental Impacts
Tags: Gene drive, Governance, Policy, Risk assessment, Synthetic biologyC. M. Warner, S. R. Carter, R. F. Lance, F. H. Crocker, H. N. Meeks, B. L. Adams, M. L. Magnuson, T. Rycroft, K. Pokrzywinski and E. J. Perkins, Synthetic Biology 2020: Frontiers in Risk Analysis and Governance, 2019.
Synthetic biology and its applications have the potential to greatly improve economic development, public health, environmental stewardship, technological advancement, and many other areas. In May 2017, sixty individuals gathered in Lexington, Massachusetts for a workshop ...
Transforming insect population control with precision guided sterile males with demonstration in flies
Tags: Gene drive syntheticKandul, N. P., J. Liu, H. M. Sanchez C, S. L. Wu, J. M. Marshall and O. S. Akbari, Nature Communications, 10:84. 2019.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environmentally safe and proven technology to suppress wild populations. To further advance its utility, a novel CRISPR-based technology termed precision guided SIT (pgSIT) is described. PgSIT mechanistically relies on a dominant genetic ...
Viral gene drive in herpesviruses
Tags: Arbovirus, Gene drive synthetic, Genetics, Population modification/replacement, Population suppression, Replicator/site directed nucleaseWalter, M. and E. Verdin, bioRxiv, 2019:717017. 2019.
Herpesviruses are ubiquitous pathogens in need of novel therapeutic solutions. Current engineered gene drive strategies rely on sexual reproduction, and are thought to be restricted to sexual organisms. Here, we report on the design of a novel gene drive system that allows the ...
Combinations of Spok genes create multiple meiotic drivers in Podospora
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiA. A. Vogan, S. L. Ament-Velásquez, A. Granger-Farbos, J. Svedberg, E. Bastiaans, A. J. M. Debets, V. Coustou, H. Yvanne, C. Clavé, S. J. Saupe and H. Johannesson, eLife, 8:e46454. 2019.
Meiotic drive is the preferential transmission of a particular allele during sexual reproduction. The phenomenon is observed as spore killing in multiple fungi. In natural populations of Podospora anserina, seven spore killer types (Psks) have been identified through classical ...
A family of killers
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiM. De Carvalho and S. E. Zanders, eLife, 8:e49211. 2019.
Spok genes are meiotic drivers that increase their own chances of transmission by killing gametes that do not inherit them.
Assessment of a split homing based gene drive for efficient knockout of multiple genes
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Other arthropods, Replicator/site directed nuclease, Self limitingKandul, N. P., J. Liu, A. Buchman, V. M. Gantz, E. Bier and O. S. Akbari, bioRxiv, 2019:706929. 2019.
Homing based gene drives (HGD) possess the potential to spread linked cargo genes into natural populations and are poised to revolutionize population control of animals. Given that host-encoded genes have been identified that are important for pathogen transmission, targeting ...
Incompatible and sterile insect techniques combined eliminate mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Incompatible insect technique, WolbachiaX. Zheng, D. Zhang, Y. Li, C. Yang, Y. Wu, X. Liang, Y. Liang, X. Pan, L. Hu, Q. Sun, X. Wang, Y. Wei, J. Zhu, W. Qian, Z. Yan, A. G. Parker, J. R. L. Gilles, K. Bourtzis, J. Bouyer, M. Tang, B. Zheng, J. Yu, J. Liu, J. Zhuang, Z. Hu, M. Zhang, J.-T. Gon, 572, 56-61. 2019.
Here we show that combining incompatible and sterile insect techniques (IIT–SIT) enables near elimination of field populations of the world’s most invasive mosquito species, Aedes albopictus. Millions of factory-reared adult males with an artificial triple-Wolbachia infection ...
The potential of genomics for restoring ecosystems and biodiversity
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive syntheticM. F. Breed, P. A. Harrison, C. Blyth, M. Byrne, V. Gaget, N. J. C. Gellie, S. V. C. Groom, R. Hodgson, J. G. Mills, T. A. A. Prowse, D. A. Steane and J. J. Mohr, Nature Reviews Genetics, 20:615-628. 2019.
Existing and emerging genomics tools offer the potential to improve the odds of achieving these targets. These tools include population genomics that can improve seed sourcing, meta-omics that can improve assessment and monitoring of restoration outcomes, and genome editing that ...
Sex-ratio meiotic drive shapes the evolution of the Y chromosome in Drosophila simulans
Tags: Evolution, Fruit fly, Transmission distortionQ. Helleu, C. Courret, D. Ogereau, K. L. Burnham, N. Chaminade, M. Chakir, S. Aulard and C. Montchamp-Moreau, Molecular Biology and Evolution, 36:2668-2681. 2019.
The recent emergence and spread of X-linked segregation distorters-called "Paris" system-in the worldwide species Drosophila simulans has elicited the selection of drive-resistant Y chromosomes. Here, we investigate the evolutionary history of 386 Y chromosomes originating from ...
Interpopulation spread of a parasitic B chromosome is unlikely through males in the grasshopper Eyprepocnemis plorans
Tags: Chromosomal drive, Ecology, Gene drive mechanisms, Other arthropodsM. I. Manrique-Poyato, J. Cabrero, M. D. López-León, F. Perfectti, R. Gómez and J. P. M. Camacho, Heredity, 124:197-206. 2019.
The near-neutral model of B chromosome evolution predicts that population invasion is quite fast. To test this prediction, in 1994, we introduced males of the grasshopper Eyprepocnemis plorans from a B-carrying population into a B-lacking population and monitored the evolution of ...
Synthetic Biology and the United Nations
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Synthetic biologyH.-E. Lai, C. Canavan, L. Cameron, S. Moore, M. Danchenko, T. Kuiken, Z. Sekeyová and P. S. Freemont, Trends in Biotechnology, 37:1146-1151. 2019.
Synthetic biology is a rapidly emerging interdisciplinary field of science and engineering that aims to redesign living systems through reprogramming genetic information. The field has catalysed global debate among policymakers and publics. Here we describe how synthetic biology ...
Split-gene drive system provides flexible application for safe laboratory investigation and potential field deployment
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetics, Self limitingV. L. Del Amo, A. L. Bishop, H. M. Sánchez C, J. B. Bennett, X. Feng, J. M. Marshall, E. Bier and V. M. Gantz, bioRxiv, 684597. 2019.
CRISPR-based gene drives spread through populations bypassing the dictates of Mendelian genetics, offering a population-engineering tool for tackling vector-borne diseases, managing crop pests, and helping island conservation efforts; unfortunately, current technologies raise ...
Sex Sorting for Pest Control: It’s Raining Men!
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. Lutrat, D. Giesbrecht, E. Marois, S. Whyard, T. Baldet and J. Bouyer, Trends in Parasitology, 35:649-662. 2019.
In the pursuit of better pest- and vector-control strategies, attention returns to an old proven technology, the sterile insect technique (SIT) and related insect population-suppression methods. A major obstacle for any of these approaches that involves the release of sterile ...
Biological control of pests and a social model of animal welfare
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyA. Mankad, U. Kennedy and L. Carter, Journal of Environmental Management, 247:313-322. 2019.
We consider the role of perceived humaneness or, more accurately, animal welfare as it relates to managing invasive species from a scientific and social perspective. In order to highlight and articulate particular nuances and standards across different pest control contexts, we ...
The association between mitochondrial genetic variation and reduced colony fitness in an invasive wasp
Tags: Evolution, Genetic biocontrol, Genetic engineering, Invasive species, Sex distorterJ. Dobelmann, A. Alexander, J. W. Baty, N. J. Gemmell, M. A. M. Gruber, O. Quinn, T. Wenseleers and P. J. Lester, Molecular Ecology, 28:3324-3338. 2019.
Despite the mitochondrion's long-recognized role in energy production, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation commonly found in natural populations was assumed to be effectively neutral. However, variation in mtDNA has now been increasingly linked to phenotypic variation in life ...
A century of bias in genetics and evolution
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive mechanisms, Population genetics/dynamics, Transmission distortionL. D. Hurst, Heredity, 123:33-44. 2019.
Mendel proposed that the heritable material is particulate and that transmission of alleles is unbiased. An assumption of unbiased transmission was necessary to show how variation can be preserved in the absence of selection, so overturning an early objection to Darwinism. In the ...
A synthetic male-specific sterilization system using the mammalian pro-apoptotic factor in a malaria vector mosquito
Tags: Anopheles, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. S. Yamamoto, M. Sumitani, K. Kasashima, H. Sezutsu, H. Matsuoka and H. Kato, Scientific Reports, 9:11. 2019.
We produced a transgenic mosquito line that expresses mouse Bax under the control of this testis-specific promoter. Transgenic mosquito males exhibited aberrant testes without functional sperm and complete sterility, whereas transgenic females maintained normal fecundity. Despite ...
Exploring Stakeholder Perspectives on the Development of a Gene Drive Mouse for Biodiversity Protection on Islands: Workshop Report
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Rodents, Sex distorter, Transmission distortionM. Farooque, S. K. Barnhill-Dilling, J. Shapiro and J. Delborne, North Carolina State University, 2019.
The “Exploring Stakeholder Perspectives on the Development of a Gene Drive Mouse for Biodiversity Protection” workshop was held on the North Carolina State University campus in Raleigh, NC on March 7-8, 2019, aiming to convene a diverse group of stakeholders, scientists, ...
Gene Drives: A report on their science, applications, social aspects, ethics and regulations
Tags: Ecology, Ethics, Gene drive synthetic, PolicyH. Dressel, Critical Scientists Switzerland; European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility; Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler, 2019.
Engineered Gene Drives are a new form of genetic modification that provides the tools for permanently modifying or potentially even eradicating species or populations in the wild. Unlike the previous genetically modified organisms (GMOs), gene drive organisms (GDOs) are not meant ...
Gene drives and the international biodiversity regime
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Ethics, Policy, RegulationF. Rabitz, Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law, 2019.
Gene drives are genetic modifications designed for rapidly diffusing traits throughout a target population. They are currently being proposed as biological control agents to combat, for instance, invasive alien species and disease vectors. They also raise concerns regarding their ...
Gene-drive-mediated extinction is thwarted by population structure and evolution of sib mating
Tags: Ecology, Evolution, Gene drive synthetic, Mosquito husbandry, Population genetics/dynamics, Transmission distortionJ. J. Bull, C. H. Remien and S. M. Krone, Evolution Medicine and Public Health, 2019:66-81. 2019.
Genetic engineering combined with CRISPR technology has developed to the point that gene drives can, in theory, be engineered to cause extinction in countless species. Success of extinction programs now rests on the possibility of resistance evolution, which is largely unknown. ...
Improving plant-resistance to insect-pests and pathogens: The new opportunities through targeted genome editing
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editingD. S. Bisht, V. Bhatia and R. Bhattacharya, Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 96:65-76. 2019.
The advantages of high input agriculture are fading away due to degenerating soil health and adverse effects of climate change. Safeguarding crop yields in the changing environment and dynamics of pest and pathogens, has posed new challenges to global agriculture. Thus, ...
Identification of fk-1;, a Meiotic Driver Undergoing RNA Editing in Neurospora
Tags: Regulation, Selfish genetic elements, Toxin-antidote, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiN. A. Rhoades, A. M. Harvey, D. A. Samarajeewa, J. Svedberg, A. Yusifov, A. Abusharekh, P. Manitchotpisit, D. W. Brown, K. J. Sharp, D. G. Rehard, J. Peters, X. Ostolaza-Maldonado, J. Stephenson, P. K. T. Shiu, H. Johannesson and T. M. Hammond, Genetics, 212:93. 2019.
These findings indicate that unedited and edited rfk-1 transcripts exist and that these transcripts could have different roles with respect to the mechanism of meiotic drive by spore killing. Regardless of RNA editing, spore killing only succeeds if rfk-1 transcripts avoid ...
