A suppression-modification gene drive for malaria control targeting the ultra-conserved RNA gene mir-184

A suppression-modification gene drive for malaria control targeting the ultra-conserved RNA gene mir-184

Blog Article

Abstract Gene drive technology presents a promising approach to controlling malaria vector populations.Suppression drives are intended to disrupt essential mosquito genes whereas modification drives aim to reduce the individual vectorial capacity of mosquitoes.Here we present a highly efficient homing gene drive in the African malaria vector Vented Dryers Anopheles gambiae that targets the microRNA gene mir-184 and combines suppression with modification.

Homozygous gene drive (miR-184D) individuals incur significant fitness costs, including high mortality following a blood meal, that curtail their propensity for malaria transmission.We attribute this to a role of miR-184 in regulating solute transport in the mosquito gut.However, females remain fully fertile, and pure-breeding miR-184D populations suitable for large-scale releases can be reared under laboratory conditions.

Cage invasion experiments show that miR-184D can spread to fixation thereby reducing population fitness, while being able to propagate a separate PEPPERMINT LOTION antimalarial effector gene at the same time.Modelling indicates that the miR-184D drive integrates aspects of population suppression and population replacement strategies into a candidate strain that should be evaluated further as a tool for malaria eradication.