Wingless strain created using binary transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 alleviates concerns about mass rearing of Hermetia illucens.

ABSTRACT: Larvae of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens have potential as a natural waste recycler and subsequent use as protein-rich feed for livestock. A common question about the insect-farming processes is, what about the concerns of mass escape of insects from large populations? Here, we present a binary transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate wingless strain with the potential to address this issue. We identified gonad-specific promoters in vivo and evaluated use of the two strongest promoters, nanos and exuperantia, to drive Cas9 expression. We found that crossing the Hiexu-Cas9 with transgenic sgRNA-expressing insects resulted in higher knockout efficiency of the marker gene white. The Hiexu-Cas9 strain exhibited a maternal deposition of Cas9 that caused more effective knockout in the

SUBMITTER: Kou Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11659398 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature