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.
Why RIDL is not SIT
Tags: Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)W. C. Black, L. Alphey and A. A. James, Trends in Parasitology, 27:362-370. 2011.
History teaches that sterile insect technique (SIT) is a feasible strategy for mosquito population suppression. Female killing (FK) technologies developed later theoretically had greater potential than SIT, but depended upon chromosomal translocations. Unfortunately these were ...
Existence of global attractor for the Trojan Y Chromosome model
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, ModelingX. P. Zhao, B. Liu and N. Duan, Electronic Journal of Qualitative Theory of Differential Equations, 2011.
This paper is concerned with the long time behavior of solution for the equation derived by the Trojan Y Chromosome (TYC) model with spatial spread. Based on the regularity estimates for the semigroups and the classical existence theorem of global attractors, we prove that this ...
A Theoretical Strategy for Eradication of Asian Carps Using a Trojan Y Chromosome to Shift the Sex Ratio of the Population
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sex distorterJ.L. teem and J.B. Gutierrez, Invasive Asian Carps in North America, 74:227-238. 2011.
The directed extinction of an exotic fish population is proposed using a genetic approach to drastically reduce the ratio of females to males within the population. In the proposed strategy, sex-reversed female fish containing two Y chromosomes (Fyy) are introduced into a normal ...
Analysis of the Trojan Y chromosome model for eradication of invasive species in a dendritic riverine system
Tags: Fish, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Modeling, Population genetics/dynamicsJ. B. Gutierrez, M. K. Hurdal, R. D. Parshad and J. L. Teem, Journal of Mathematical Biology, 64:319-340. 2011.
The use of Trojan Y chromosomes has been proposed as a genetic strategy for the eradication of invasive species. The strategy is particularly relevant to invasive fish species that have XY sex determination system and are amenable to sex-reversal. In this paper we study the ...
Pyrethroid resistance in African anopheline mosquitoes: what are the implications for malaria control?
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, ResistanceH. Ranson, R. N’Guessan, J. Lines, N. Moiroux, Z. Nkuni and V. Corbel, Trends in Parasitology, 27:91-98. 2011.
The use of pyrethroid insecticides in malaria vector control has increased dramatically in the past decade through the scale up of insecticide treated net distribution programmes and indoor residual spraying campaigns. Inevitably, the major malaria vectors have developed ...
Requirements for effective malaria control with homing endonuclease genes
Tags: Aedes, Anopheles, Biological control, Fruit fly, Other arthropods, Replicator/site directed nuclease, Vector controlDeredec, AG, H. C. J.; Burt, A., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108:e874-e880. 2011.
Malaria continues to impose a substantial burden on human health. We have previously proposed that biological approaches to control the mosquito vector of disease could be developed using homing endonuclease genes (HEGs), a class of selfish or parasitic gene that exists naturally ...
Reduced polymorphism associated with X chromosome meiotic drive in the stalk-eyed fly Teleopsis dalmanni
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive mechanisms, Other arthropods, X chromosomeChristianson, SJB, C. L.; Wilkinson, G. S., PLOS One, 6:e27254. 2011.
Sex chromosome meiotic drive has been suggested as a cause of several evolutionary genetic phenomena, including genomic conflicts that give rise to reproductive isolation between new species. In this paper we present a population genetic analysis of X chromosome drive in the ...
Insect population control by homing endonuclease-based gene drive: An evaluation in Drosophila melanogaster
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Other arthropods, Replicator/site directed nucleaseChan, YSN, D. A.; Huen, D. S.; Russell, S., Genetics, 188:33-44. 2011.
Insects play a major role as vectors of human disease as well as causing significant agricultural losses. Harnessing the activity of customized homing endonuclease genes (HEGs) has been proposed as a method for spreading deleterious mutations through populations with a view to ...
B Chromosomes and Sex in Animals
Tags: Chromosomal drive, Evolution, Gene drive mechanismsCamacho, JPMS, M.; Cabrero, J., Sexual Development, 5:155-166. 2011.
Supernumerary (B) chromosomes are dispensable elements found in many eukaryote genomes in addition to standard (A) chromosomes. In many respects, B chromosomes resemble sex chromosomes, so that a common ancestry for them has frequently been suggested. For instance, B chromosomes ...
Rapid rise and fall of selfish sex-ratio X Chromosomes in Drosophila simulans: Spatiotemporal analysis of phenotypic and molecular data
Tags: Ecology, Evolution, Gene drive mechanisms, Other arthropods, X chromosomeBastide, HC, M.; Ogereau, D.; Derome, N.; Hospital, F.; Montchamp-Moreau, C., Molecular Biology and Evolution, 28:2461-2470. 2011.
Sex-ratio drive, which has been documented in several Drosophila species, is induced by X-linked segregation distorters. Contrary to Mendel's law of independent assortment, the sex-ratio chromosome (X(SR)) is inherited by more than half the offspring of carrier males, resulting ...
Stability properties of underdominance in finite subdivided populations
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, UnderdominanceAltrock, PMT, A.; Reed, F. A., PLOS Computational Biology, 7:10. 2011.
In isolated populations underdominance leads to bistable evolutionary dynamics: below a certain mutant allele frequency the wildtype succeeds. Above this point, the potentially underdominant mutant allele fixes. In subdivided populations with gene flow there can be stable states ...
A synthetic homing endonuclease-based gene drive system in the human malaria mosquito
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive synthetic, Mosquitoes, Other arthropods, Replicator/site directed nucleaseWindbichler, NM, M.; Papathanos, P. A.; Thyme, S. B.; Li, H.; Ulge, U. Y.; Hovde, B. T.; Baker, D.; Monnat, R. J.; Burt, A.; Crisanti, A., Nature, 473:212-215. 2011.
Genetic methods of manipulating or eradicating disease vector populations have long been discussed as an attractive alternative to existing control measures because of their potential advantages in terms of effectiveness and species specificity(1-3). The development of ...
Selfish genetic elements, genetic conflict, and evolutionary innovation
Tags: EvolutionWerren, JH, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108:10863-10870. 2011.
Genomes are vulnerable to selfish genetic elements (SGEs), which enhance their own transmission relative to the rest of an individual's genome but are neutral or harmful to the individual as a whole. As a result, genetic conflict occurs between SGEs and other genetic elements in ...
Transcript profiling of the meiotic drive phenotype in testis of Aedes aegypti using suppressive subtractive hybridization
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Other arthropodsShin, DYJ, L. Z.; Lobo, N. F.; Severson, D. W., Journal of Insect Physiology, 57:1220-1226. 2011.
The meiotic drive gene in Aedes aegypti is tightly linked with the sex determination locus on chromosome 1, and causes highly male-biased sex ratios. We prepared cDNA libraries from testes from the Ae. aegypti 137 strain (driving) and RED strain (non-driving), and used ...
A novel sperm-delivered toxin causes late-stage embryo lethality and transmission ratio distortion in C. elegans
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Toxin-antidote, Transmission distortionSeidel, HSA, M.; Li, J. L.; van Oudenaarden, A.; Rockman, M. V.; Kruglyak, L., PLOS Biology, 9:e1001115. 2011.
The evolutionary fate of an allele ordinarily depends on its contribution to host fitness. Occasionally, however, genetic elements arise that are able to gain a transmission advantage while simultaneously imposing a fitness cost on their hosts. We previously discovered one such ...
Semele: A Killer-male, rescue-female system for suppression and replacement of insect disease vector populations
Tags: Other arthropods, Toxin-antidoteMarshall, JMP, G. W.; Buchman, A. B.; Hay, B. A., Genetics, 187:535-551. 2011.
Two strategies to control mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, are reducing mosquito population sizes or replacing populations with disease-refractory varieties. We propose a genetic system, Semele, which may be used for both. Semele consists of two ...
Inverse Medea as a novel gene drive system for socal population replacement: A theoretical analysis
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Other arthropodsMarshall, JMH, B. A., Journal of Heredity, 102:336-341. 2011.
One strategy to control mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, on a regional scale is to use gene drive systems to spread disease-refractory genes into wild mosquito populations. The development of a synthetic Medea element that has been shown to drive ...
Gene-drive into insect populations with age and spatial structure: a theoretical assessment
Tags: Other arthropodsHuang, YXL, A. L.; Legros, M.; Gould, F., Evolutionary Applications, 4:415-428. 2011.
The potential benefits and risks of genetically engineered gene-drive systems for replacing wild pest strains with more benign strains must be assessed prior to any field releases. We develop a computer simulation model to assess the feasibility of using engineered underdominance ...
Selective microspore abortion correlated with aneuploidy: an indication of meiotic drive
Tags: Ecology, Gene drive mechanisms, Transmission distortionFurness, CAR, P. J., Sexual Plant Reproduction, 24:1-8. 2011.
Selective megaspore abortion (monomegaspory) probably arose once in seed plants and occurs routinely in more than 70% of angiosperm species, representing one of the key characters of a heterosporous life history. In contrast, selective microspore abortion leading to pollen ...
Polar bodies–more a lack of understanding than a lack of respect
Tags: Transmission distortionS. Schmerler and G. M. Wessel, Molecular Reproduction and Development, 78:3-8. 2010.
Polar bodies are as diverse as the organisms that produce them. Although in many animals these cells often die following meiotic maturation of the oocyte, in other organisms they are an essential and diverse part of embryonic development. Here we highlight some of this diversity ...
On the Well Posedness and Refined Estimates for the Global Attractor of the TYC Model
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Sex distorterR. D. Parshad and J. B. Gutierrez, Boundary Value Problems, 2010.
The Trojan Y Chromosome strategy (TYC) is a theoretical method for eradication of invasive species. It requires constant introduction of artificial individuals into a target population, causing a shift in the sex ratio that ultimately leads to local extinction. In this work we ...
Problem formulation in the environmental risk assessment for genetically modified plants
Tags: Gene drive, Policy, Risk and safetyWolt, JDK, Paul; Raybould, Alan; Fitzpatrick, Julie W.; Burachik, Moisés; Gray, Alan; Olin, Stephen S.; Schiemann, Joachim; Sears, Mark; Wu, Felicia, Transgenic Research, 19:425-436. 2010.
Problem formulation is the first step in environmental risk assessment (ERA) where policy goals, scope, assessment endpoints, and methodology are distilled to an explicitly stated problem and approach for analysis. The consistency and utility of ERAs for genetically modified (GM) ...
Changes in sperm tail development associated with Y chromosome meiotic drive leading to an excess of males in the medfly Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Other arthropods, Transmission distortion, Y-chromosomeRendon, PAB, R. D.; Wood, R. J., Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 101:351-359. 2010.
The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) normally produces the sexes in equal ratio but strains carrying the Y chromosome meiotic drive MP (male-producing) factor show an excess of males. This is associated with a loss of sperm, and abnormal sperm structure in terms ...
The role of meiotic drive in hybrid male sterility
Tags: Evolution, Transmission distortionMcDermott, SRN, M. A. F., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 365:1265-1272. 2010.
Meiotic drive causes the distortion of allelic segregation away from Mendelian expected ratios, often also reducing fecundity and favouring the evolution of drive suppressors. If different species evolve distinct drive-suppressor systems, then hybrid progeny may be sterile as a ...
Segregation distortion and the evolution of sex-determining mechanisms
Tags: Evolution, Transmission distortion, X chromosome, Y-chromosomeKozielska, MW, F. J.; Beukeboom, L. W.; Pen, I., Heredity, 104:100-112. 2010.
Segregation distorters are alleles that distort normal segregation in their own favour. Sex chromosomal distorters lead to biased sex ratios, and the presence of such distorters, therefore, may induce selection for a change in the mechanism of sex determination. The evolutionary ...
Games in tetrads: Segregation, recombination, and meiotic drive
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive mechanismsHaig, D, American Naturalist, 176:404-413. 2010.
The two alleles at a heterozygous locus segregate during meiosis, sometimes at meiosis I and sometimes at meiosis II. The timing of segregation is determined by the pattern of crossing-over between a locus and its attached centromeres. Genes near centromeres can exploit this ...
Segregation analysis of a sex ratio distortion locus in congenic mice
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Other mammals, X chromosomeCasellas, JF, C. R.; Verdugo, R. A.; Medrano, J. F., Journal of Heredity, 101:351-359. 2010.
The congenic HG.CAST-(D17Mit196-D17Mit190) (HQ17(hg/hg)) mouse strain showed a significant departure on the expected 50%/50% offspring sex ratio in more than 2400 progeny (55.7% females). The entire pedigree file included data from 13 nonoverlapping purebred generations and an ...
Segregation distortion in chicken and the evolutionary consequences of female meiotic drive in birds
Tags: Birds, Gene drive mechanisms, X chromosomeAxelsson, EA, A.; Van, A. P.; Li, L.; Megens, H. J.; Vereijken, A. L. J.; Crooijmans, Rpma; Groenen, M. A. M.; Ellegren, H.; Willerslev, E.; Nielsen, R., Heredity, 105:290-298. 2010.
As all four meiotic products give rise to sperm in males, female meiosis result in a single egg in most eukaryotes. Any genetic element with the potential to influence chromosome segregation, so that it is preferentially included in the egg, should therefore gain a transmission ...
Using underdominance to bi-stably transform local populations
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, UnderdominanceAltrock, PMT, A.; Reeves, R. G.; Reed, F. A., Journal of Theoretical Biology, 267:62-75. 2010.
Underdominance refers to natural selection against individuals with a heterozygous genotype. Here, we analyze a single-locus underdominant system of two large local populations that exchange individuals at a certain migration rate. The system can be characterized by fixed points ...
On the global attractor of the Trojan Y chromosome model.
Tags: Fish, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Population genetics/dynamics, Sex distorterR. D. Parshad and J. B. Gutierrez, Communications on Pure and Applied Analysis, 10:339-359. 2010.
We consider the Trojan Y Chromosome (TYC) model for eradication of invasive species in population dynamics. We present global estimates for the TYC system in a spatial domain. In this work we prove the existence of a global attractor for the system. We derive uniform estimates to ...
Ethical, legal and social aspects of the approach in Sudan
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Ethics, Governance, Mosquitoes, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)B. B. El Sayed, C. A. Malcolm, A. Babiker, E. M. Malik, M. A. H. El Tayeb, N. S. Saeed, A. H. D. Nugud and B. G. J. Knols, Malaria Journal, 8:S3. 2009.
The global malaria situation, especially in Africa, and the problems frequently encountered in chemical control of vectors such as insecticide resistance, emphasize the urgency of research, development and implementation of new vector control technologies that are applicable at ...
Field site selection: getting it right first time around
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. A. Malcolm, B. El Sayed, A. Babiker, R. Girod, D. Fontenille, B. G. J. Knols, A. H. Nugud and M. Q. Benedict, Malaria Journal, 8. 2009.
The selection of suitable field sites for integrated control of Anopheles mosquitoes using the sterile insect technique (SIT) requires consideration of the full gamut of factors facing most proposed control strategies, but four criteria identify an ideal site: 1) a single malaria ...
Genetic control of invasive plants species using selfish genetic elements
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetic incompatibilities, Invasive speciesK. A. Hodgins, L. Rieseberg and S. P. Otto, Evolutionary Applications, 2:555-569. 2009.
Invasive plants cause substantial environmental damage and economic loss. Here, we explore the possibility that a selfish genetic element found in plants called cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) could be exploited for weed control. We developed an analytical model and a spatial ...
Spatial and temporal distribution of the malaria mosquito Anopheles arabiensis in northern Sudan: influence of environmental factors and implications for vector control
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)T. B. Ageep, J. Cox, M. M. Hassan, B. G. J. Knols, M. Q. Benedict, C. A. Malcolm, A. Babiker and B. B. El Sayed, Malaria Journal, 8:14. 2009.
Background: Malaria is an important public health problem in northern Sudan, but little is known about the dynamics of its transmission. Given the characteristic low densities of Anopheles arabiensis and the difficult terrain in this area, future vector control strategies are ...
Testosterone has a long-term effect on primary sex ratio of first eggs in pigeons-in search of a mechanism
Tags: Birds, Transmission distortionGoerlich, VCD, C.; Schaafsma, S. M.; Groothuis, T. G. G., General and Comparative Endocrinology, 163:184-192. 2009.
Despite accumulating evidence that birds, in which females are the heterogametic sex, are able to manipulate primary offspring sex ratio, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Steroid hormones. which govern female reproduction and are also accumulated by the developing ...
Molecular signature of epistatic selection: interrogating genetic interactions in the sex-ratio meiotic drive of Drosophila simulans
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Other arthropods, Transmission distortionChevin, LMB, H.; Montchamp-Moreau, C.; Hospital, F., Genetics Research, 91:171-182. 2009.
Fine scale analyses Of signatures of selection allow assessing quantitative aspects of a Species' evolutionary genetic history, such as the strength of selection on genes. When several selected loci lie in the same genomic region, their epistatic interactions may also be ...
Evolution of the Schlafen genes, a gene family associated with embryonic lethality, meiotic drive, immune processes and orthopoxvirus virulence
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive, Other mammalsBustos, ON, S.; Ayers, G.; Casola, C.; Perez-Lamigueiro, M. A.; Chippindale, P. T.; Pritham, E. J.; de la Casa-Esperon, E., Gene, 447:11-Jan. 2009.
Genes of the Schlafen family, first discovered in mouse, are expressed in hematopoietic cells and are involved in immune processes. Previous results showed that they are candidate genes for two major phenomena: meiotic drive and embryonic lethality (DDK syndrome). However, these ...
Deployment of innovative genetic vector control strategies: progress on regulatory and biosafety aspects, capacity building and development of best-practice guidance
Tags: Mosquitoes, Policy, RegulationBeech, CV, S.S.; Quinlan, M.M.; Capurro, Margareth L.; Alphey, L.; Bayard, V.; Bouare, M.; McLeod, M.C.; Kittayapong, P.; Lavery, J.; Lim, L.H.; Marrelli, M.T.; Nagaraju, J.; Ombongi, K.; Othman, R.Y.; Pillai, V.; Ramsey, J.; Reuben, R.; Rose, R.I.; Tyagi, B.K.; Mumford, J., AsPac J. Mol. Biol. Biotechnol., 17:75-85. 2009.
In the ongoing fight against vectors of human diseases, disease endemic countries (DECs) may soon benefit from innovative control strategies involving modified insect vectors. For instance, three promising methods (viz. RIDL® [Release of Insects with a Dominant Lethal], ...
Assessment of transmission distortion on chromosome 6p in healthy individuals using tagSNPs
Tags: Gene drive mechanisms, Other mammalsSantos, PSCH, J.; Schlattmann, P.; Konig, I. R.; Ziegler, A.; Uchanska-Ziegler, B., European Journal of Human Genetics, 17:1182-1189. 2009.
The best-documented example for transmission distortion (TD) to normal offspring are the t haplotypes on mouse chromosome 17. In healthy humans, TD has been described for whole chromosomes and for particular loci, but multiple comparisons have presented a statistical obstacle in ...
Multi-Locus Assortment (MLA) for transgene dispersal and elimination in mosquito populations
Tags: Ecology, Gene drive mechanisms, Gene drive syntheticRasgon, JL, PLOS One, 4:e5833. 2009.
: Replacement of wild-type mosquito populations with genetically modified versions is being explored as a potential strategy to control vector-borne diseases. Due to lower expected relative fitness of transgenic individuals, transgenes must be driven into populations for these ...
Large-scale selective sweep among Segregation Distorter chromosomes in African populations Drosophila melanogaster
Tags: Ecology, Evolution, Gene drive mechanisms, Other arthropods, Transmission distortionPresgraves, DCG, P. R.; Cherukuri, A.; Lyttle, T. W., PLOS Genetics, 5:e1000463. 2009.
Segregation Distorter (SD) is a selfish, coadapted gene complex on chromosome 2 of Drosophila melanogaster that strongly distorts Mendelian transmission; heterozygous SD/SD(+) males sire almost exclusively SD-bearing progeny. Fifty years of genetic, molecular, and theory work ...
Drive and sperm: The evolution and genetics of male meiotic drive
Tags: Evolution, Transmission distortionPresgraves, D, Sperm Biology: an Evolutionary Perspective, 12:471-506. 2009.
Some selfish genetic elements in eukaryotic genomes have been harnessed to perform essential functions for their hosts, whereas others have gained transmission advantages at the expense of their hosts. Meiotic drive elements are particularly dramatic examples of the latter. ...
The effect of gene drive on containment of transgenic mosquitoes
Tags: Other arthropodsMarshall, JM, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 258:250-265. 2009.
Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever continue to be a major health problem through Much of the world. Several new potential approaches to disease control utilize gene drive to spread anti-pathogen genes into the mosquito Population. Prior to a release, these ...
Major evolutionary transitions in centromere complexity
Tags: Evolution, Transmission distortionMalik, HSH, S., Cell, 138:1067-1082. 2009.
Centromeres are chromosomal elements that are both necessary and sufficient for chromosome segregation. However, the puzzlingly broad range in centromere complexity, from simple "point" centromeres to multi-megabase arrays of DNA satellites, has defied explanation. We posit that ...
Skeeter Buster: A stochastic, spatially explicit modeling tool for studying Aedes aegypti population replacement and population suppression strategies
Tags: Other arthropodsMagori, KL, M.; Puente, M. E.; Focks, D. A.; Scott, T. W.; Lloyd, A. L.; Gould, F., PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 3:e508. 2009.
Dengue is the most important mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans. The only prevention measure currently available is the control of its vectors, primarily Aedes aegypti. Recent advances in genetic engineering have opened the possibility for a new range of control ...
Gene-drive in age-structured insect populations
Tags: Toxin-antidote, UnderdominanceHuang, YXL, A. L.; Legros, M.; Gould, F., Evolutionary Applications, 2:143-159. 2009.
To date, models of gene-drive mechanisms proposed for replacing wild-type mosquitoes with transgenic strains that cannot transmit diseases have assumed no age or mating structure. We developed a more detailed model to analyze the effects of age and mating-related factors on the ...
Genes in conflict: The biology of selfish genetic elements
Burt, A. and R. Trivers, Genes in conflict: the biology of selfish genetic elements, 2008.In evolution, most genes survive and spread within populations because they increase the ability of their hosts (or their close relatives) to survive and reproduce. But some genes spread in spite of being harmful to the host organism—by distorting their own transmission to the ...
Towards a sterile insect technique field release of Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes in Sudan: Irradiation, transportation, and field cage experimentation
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. E. H. Helinski, M. M. Hassan, W. M. El-Motasim, C. A. Malcolm, B. G. J. Knols and B. El-Sayed, Malaria Journal, 7:10. 2008.
Background: The work described in this article forms part of a study to suppress a population of the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in Northern State, Sudan, with the Sterile Insect Technique. No data have previously been collected on the irradiation and transportation of ...
The Impact of Dissociation on Transposon-Mediated Disease Control Strategies
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Selfish genetic elementsJ. M. Marshall, Genetics, 178:1673-1682. 2008.
Vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever continue to be a major health concern through much of the world. The emergence of chloroquine-resistant strains of malaria and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes emphasize the need for novel methods of disease control. ...
Sex ratio distorter reduces sperm competitive ability in an insect
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive mechanisms, X chromosomePrice, TARB, A. J.; Avent, T. D.; Snook, R. R.; Hurst, G. D. D.; Wedell, N., Evolution, 62:1644-1652. 2008.
Selfish genetic elements (SGEs) are ubiquitous in animals and often associated with low male fertility due to reduced sperm number in male carriers. In the fruit fly Drosophila pseudoobscura, the meiotic driving X chromosome "sex ratio" kills Y-bearing sperm in carrier males (SR ...
