Testing non-autonomous antimalarial gene drive effectors using self-eliminating drivers in the African mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae.

ABSTRACT: Gene drives for mosquito population modification are novel tools for malaria control. Strategies to safely test antimalarial effectors in the field are required. Here, we modified the Anopheles gambiae zpg locus to host a CRISPR/Cas9 integral gene drive allele (zpgD) and characterized its behaviour and resistance profile. We found that zpgD dominantly sterilizes females but can induce efficient drive at other loci when it itself encounters resistance. We combined zpgD with multiple previously characterized non-autonomous payload drives and found that, as zpgD self-eliminates, it leads to conversion of mosquito cage populations at these loci. Our results demonstrate how self-eliminating drivers could allow safe testing of non-autonomous effector-traits by local population modification. They

SUBMITTER: Ellis DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9197043 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature