Genetically-manipulated male mosquitoes could eliminate females

[flash13]

Genetically-manipulated male mosquitoes could eliminate females

 

Source

 

A female Anopheles gambiae mosquito, packin' a blood meal and two X chromosomes

 

Several years ago, we heard how scientists were looking at eradicating malaria-carrying mosquitoes by making the females infertile. Now they're going a step further, by eliminating the females

 

altogether.

 

Led by Prof. Andrea Cristani of Imperial College London, an international research team started with a caged population of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes – this is the mosquito group that's

 

chiefly responsible for the transmission of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

The scientists then created a genetically-manipulated version of the males, in which a DNA-cutting enzyme destroyed the X chromosome during the production of sperm. When those males mated

 

with conventional females, the offspring were predominantly male – this is because while just one X and a Y chromosome trigger the development of males, two X's are required for females.

 

Ordinarily, the X-destroying gene would only be passed on to about 50 percent of the offspring. Utilizing what's known as gene drive technology, however, the researchers were able to boost that

 

figure to almost 100 percent. As a result, over just a few generations, the caged population of mosquitoes became entirely male – it was thus unsustainable, and collapsed as a result.

 

It is hoped that once more studies have been conducted, the genetically-manipulated males could be released into wild Anopheles gambiae populations, ultimately eliminating them in specific

 

geographical regions. And even before those populations collapsed completely, the malaria problem would already be addressed, as it's only the female mosquitoes that bite.

 

"This study represents a key milestone in the long-sought objective to bias the progeny of the human malaria mosquito so that only non-biting males are produced," says Cristani. "Having a

 

proven driving sex-distorter opens a new avenue for scientists to develop genetic vector controls of malaria with the aim of eradicating the disease."

 

 

 

 

[virendra]

Biologist here and unsure about longterm implications of this double-edge eXperiments because... "what can possible go wrong out of lab",nature its deepeer, and the highest level of truth on bioengineering its already out of range for humans comprehension due to bigger interaction in enviromental schemes , in fact got bite by they female and got p.falciparum, deadly nasty...but they vectors many others like dengue, zika, chikungunya etc... some friend used to say "snipers are metal anopheles, if engaged...done" but in the overall they balance the total biomass-mess

In West-Africa they say malaria its like an "elder neighbour" that came to visit them every year...and take its trophy

Addendum: the greek meaning of Anopheles says it all