A small-molecule approach to restore female sterility phenotype targeted by a homing suppression gene drive in the fruit pest Drosophila suzukii.

A small-molecule approach to restore female sterility phenotype targeted by a homing suppression gene drive in the fruit pest Drosophila suzukii.

Blog Article

Cakes CRISPR-based gene drives offer promising prospects for controlling disease-transmitting vectors and agricultural pests.A significant challenge for successful suppression-type drive is the rapid evolution of resistance alleles.One approach to mitigate the development of resistance involves targeting functionally constrained regions using multiple gRNAs.In this study, we constructed a 3-gRNA homing gene drive system targeting the recessive female fertility gene Tyrosine decarboxylase 2 (Tdc2) in Drosophila suzukii, a notorious fruit pest.Our investigation revealed only a low level of homing in the germline, but feeding octopamine restored the egg-laying defects in Tdc2 mutant females, allowing easier line maintenance than for other suppression drive targets.

We tested the effectiveness of a similar system in Drosophila melanogaster and constructed additional split drive systems by introducing promoter-Cas9 transgenes to improve homing efficiency.Our findings show that genetic polymorphisms in wild populations may limit the spread of gene drive alleles, Ball - Glove Batting - Womens and the position effect profoundly influences Cas9 activity.Furthermore, this study highlights the potential of conditionally rescuing the female infertility caused by the gene drive, offering a valuable tool for the industrial-scale production of gene drive transgenic insects.