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CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of female-biased genes AeAct-4 or myo-fem in Ae. aegypti results in a flightless phenotype in female, but not male mosquitoes
- Source :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 14, Iss 12, p e0008971 (2020), PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2020.
-
Abstract
- Aedes aegypti is a vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Current vector control strategies such as community engagement, source reduction, and insecticides have not been sufficient to prevent viral outbreaks. Thus, interest in novel strategies involving genetic engineering is growing. Female mosquitoes rely on flight to mate with males and obtain a bloodmeal from a host. We hypothesized that knockout of genes specifically expressed in female mosquitoes associated with the indirect flight muscles would result in a flightless female mosquito. Using CRISPR-Cas9 we generated loss-of-function mutations in several genes hypothesized to control flight in mosquitoes, including actin (AeAct-4) and myosin (myo-fem) genes expressed specifically in the female flight muscle. Genetic knockout of these genes resulted in 100% flightless females, with homozygous males able to fly, mate, and produce offspring, albeit at a reduced rate when compared to wild type males. Interestingly, we found that while AeAct-4 was haplosufficient, with most heterozygous individuals capable of flight, this was not the case for myo-fem, where about half of individuals carrying only one intact copy could not fly. These findings lay the groundwork for developing novel mechanisms of controlling Ae. aegypti populations, and our results suggest that this mechanism could be applicable to other vector species of mosquito.<br />Author summary Ae. aegypti is the most important vector of arboviruses throughout the world, and new strategies are urgently needed to add to our existing arsenal of control methods to prevent or halt disease transmission. Importantly, only female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes transmit arboviruses due to their need for vertebrate blood to support egg production. Here, we identify several genes that are critical only for female mosquito flight; genetic ablation of each gene resulted in flightless females, but flying males. Importantly, the female flightless phenotype was completely penetrant (100%), and the use of sex-biased flight muscle proteins appeared to be conserved throughout mosquito evolution. These data could be used to support the development of novel genetic control approaches to reduce the number of biting females across a wide range of disease vector species.
- Subjects :
- Male
0301 basic medicine
Insecticides
Heredity
Mosquito Control
Physiology
RC955-962
Disease Vectors
medicine.disease_cause
Mosquitoes
Biochemistry
Homozygosity
Gene Knockout Techniques
Medical Conditions
Contractile Proteins
0302 clinical medicine
Aedes
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
Medicine and Health Sciences
Chikungunya
Animal Flight
Genetics
Heterozygosity
biology
Zika Virus Infection
Eukaryota
Phenotype
Body Fluids
Insects
Mosquito control
Blood
Infectious Diseases
Female
Anatomy
Public aspects of medicine
RA1-1270
Research Article
Arthropoda
Motor Proteins
Actin Motors
Mosquito Vectors
Aedes aegypti
Aedes Aegypti
Myosins
03 medical and health sciences
Molecular Motors
medicine
Animals
Humans
Gene
Biological Locomotion
fungi
Organisms
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Wild type
Biology and Life Sciences
Proteins
Cell Biology
Zika Virus
biology.organism_classification
Invertebrates
Insect Vectors
Species Interactions
Cytoskeletal Proteins
030104 developmental biology
Flight, Animal
Vector (epidemiology)
CRISPR-Cas Systems
Insect Flight
Zoology
Entomology
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19352735 and 19352727
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....c86ecf3764088278591abb6f2107c811