Zapletal, J. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2023

Repeat mediated excision of gene drive elements for restoring wild-type populations

We demonstrate here that single strand annealing (SSA) repair can be co-opted for the precise autocatalytic excision of a drive element. Although SSA is not the predominant form of DNA repair in eukaryotic organisms, we increased the likelihood of its use by engineering direct repeats at sites flanking the drive allele, and then introducing a double-strand DNA break (DSB) at a second endonuclease target site encoded within the drive allele. We have termed this technology Repeat Mediated Excision of a Drive Element (ReMEDE). Incorporation of ReMEDE into the previously described mutagenic chain reaction (MCR) gene drive, targeting the yellow gene of Drosophila melanogaster, replaced drive alleles with wild-type alleles demonstrating proof-of-principle. Although the ReMEDE system requires further research and development, the technology has a number of attractive features as a gene drive mitigation strategy, chief among these the potential to restore a wild-type population without releasing additional transgenic organisms or large-scale environmental engineering efforts.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2018

Predicting Aquatic Development and Mortality Rates of Aedes Aegypti

Mosquito-borne pathogens continue to be a significant burden within human populations, with Aedes aegypti continuing to spread dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus throughout the world. Using data from a previously conducted study, a linear regression model was constructed to predict the aquatic development rates based on the average temperature, temperature fluctuation range, and larval density. Additional experiments were conducted with different parameters of average temperature and larval density to validate the model. Using a paired t-test, the model predictions were compared to experimental data and showed that the prediction models were not significantly different for average pupation rate, adult emergence rate, and juvenile mortality rate. The models developed will be useful for modeling and estimating the number of Aedes aegypti in the environment under different temperature, diurnal temperature variations, and larval densities.\n\nAuthor SummaryUsing experimental data from experiments conducted on Aedes aegypti, we formulated regression models to predict pupation, adult emergence, and juvenile mortality rates based on average temperature, temperature fluctuation range, and larval density. The prediction models produced were shown to account for high levels of variation within the data. Validation was performed by comparing omitted data sets to the predictions generated by our models. Our results show that the models produce results that are not significantly different from the experimental results and are capable of predicting aquatic development rates of Ae. aegypti.

ecology↗