2023-07-05 カリフォルニア大学サンディエゴ校(UCSD)
◆彼らはCRISPR技術を利用して、蚊の性的発達を制御する遺伝子を変化させることで、蚊の個体数を抑制することに成功しました。この技術は、マラリアの根絶に向けた安全で制御可能な解決策として期待されています。将来的には、他の病気を広める蚊にも応用できる可能性があります。
<関連情報>
- https://today.ucsd.edu/story/new-genetic-technology-developed-to-halt-malaria-spreading-mosquitoes
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade8903
マラリア媒介蚊アノフェレス・ガンビエにおける閉じ込め可能な雌性致死的個体群抑制システム A confinable female-lethal population suppression system in the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae
Andrea L. Smidler,James J. Pai,Reema A. Apte,Héctor M. Sánchez C.,Rodrigo M. Corder,Eileen Jeffrey Gutiérrez,Neha Thakre,Igor Antoshechkin,John M. Marshall, and Omar S. Akbari
Science Advances Published:5 Jul 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ade8903
Abstract
Malaria is among the world’s deadliest diseases, predominantly affecting Sub-Saharan Africa and killing over half a million people annually. Controlling the principal vector, the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, as well as other anophelines, is among the most effective methods to control disease spread. Here, we develop a genetic population suppression system termed Ifegenia (inherited female elimination by genetically encoded nucleases to interrupt alleles) in this deadly vector. In this bicomponent CRISPR-based approach, we disrupt a female-essential gene, femaleless (fle), demonstrating complete genetic sexing via heritable daughter gynecide. Moreover, we demonstrate that Ifegenia males remain reproductively viable and can load both fle mutations and CRISPR machinery to induce fle mutations in subsequent generations, resulting in sustained population suppression. Through modeling, we demonstrate that iterative releases of nonbiting Ifegenia males can act as an effective, confinable, controllable, and safe population suppression and elimination system.
