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  • Essay / The role of the Crispr-cas9 gene drive in mosquitoes

    The BBC article “Gene editing eliminates mosquitoes in the laboratory” discusses work using a gene editing technique to suppress mosquito populations in Anopheles gambiae cage, which transmits malaria. In 2016, there were 216 million cases of malaria in 91 countries and 445,000 people were killed worldwide. This study was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. A CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive was used to target the double-sex gene to reduce egg production and eliminate the population. The study revealed that the doublesex gene (Agdsx) of the human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae contains 7 exons spanning 85 regions of chromosome 2R and is encoded by two transcripts, dsx-female (AgdsxF) and dsx-male (AgdsxM), which regulate the differentiation of the two sexes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The AgdsxF transcript contains a common 5' segment with a specific exon (exon 5, which is highly conserved and is only expressed in female mosquitoes), and the common 3' region, while AgdsxM includes only the common 5' and 3' segments, and the specific region is transcribed as a noncoding 3' untranslated region in females. The Pam (protospacer adjacent motif) of the gRNA (highlighted in blue). Non-coding regions are white, coding regions of exons are shaded black. To determine whether this is an acceptable target for a gene drive to eliminate the mosquito population, the intron 4-exon 5 boundary of dsx was disrupted. Anopheles gambiae embryos were injected with a source of Cas9 and a single guide RNA (sgRNA) in combination with a homology-directed repair (HDR) template to insert an eGFP transcription unit. To generate heterozygous and homozygous mutants, scientists crossed transformed individuals. To determine the diagnostic genotype, PCR was used with primers extended to the insertion site. The study confirms that CRISPR-Cas9 successfully blocked the formation of functional AgdsxF. In female homozygous mutants present within the population, there was an intersex phenotype and complete sterility while male development was unaffected. The scientists discovered that replacing the 3xP3:GFP transcription unit with a dsxFCRISPRh allele would have a dramatic effect on the reproductive output of the population. The cage was set up with a population of wild-type mosquitoes with heterozygous individuals carrying dsxFCRISPRh. The study concludes that the frequency reached its maximum frequency at generation 7, that at generation 8 no eggs were produced, which proves that the population was sterile, and that subsequently the population became collapsed. Total egg production in each generation. The black arrow-population is completely collapsing.Keep in mind: this is just a sample.Get a custom article from our expert editors now.Get a custom essayThe dsxFCRISPRh gene drive targeting exon 5 of dsx could lead a trial toward successful population control. This motivation has many characteristics such as high transmission bias, homozygous females are unproductive and do not bite, heterozygous individuals are fully productive, making this motivation successful in field tests in the future. With the recommendations of the United States National Academy of Sciences, further research should be strictly evaluated in natural landscapes with environmental conditions such as the presence of predators, competitions for..