Engineer the sex chromosomes for genetic biocontrol of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti

Aedes aegypti is a major vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Genetic strategies to control these diseases are species-specific and are being actively explored. Most genetic methods require that only male mosquitoes are released. Thus, research into mosquito sex determination is important to both basic biology and disease control. A. aegypti contains homomorphic sex chromosomes and maleness is conferred by a dominant male-determining factor Nix, which resides in a male-determining locus (M locus) on chromosome 1. I will discuss what we have learned about the sex determination system and the sex chromosomes in A. aegypti and describe novel methods to produce non-GM male mosquitoes in a single self-sustaining strain by differential elimination of marked sex chromosomes (DeMark). By adding to the growing toolbox for genetic biocontrol, we hope to provide new options that can be integrated with other measures to address various challenges facing mosquito-borne infectious disease control programs in different regions and communities around the world.

Speaker

Zhijian (Jake) Tu
University Distinguished Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, USA

I joined the Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech in 1999 and currently serve as a University Distinguished Professor. My research is unified by a central theme: the development and application of functional genomics and molecular genetics to address biologically significant questions with strong translational potential. My current work focuses on the mechanism, evolution, and applications of mosquito sex determination.