title: Female-specific flightless phenotype for mosquito control.
abstract: Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever are increasing public health problems with an estimated 50-100 million new infections each year. Aedes aegypti is the major vector of dengue viruses in its range and control of this mosquito would reduce significantly human morbidity and mortality. Present mosquito control methods are not sufficiently effective and new approaches are needed urgently. A "sterile-male-release" strategy based on the release of mosquitoes carrying a conditional dominant lethal gene is an attractive new control methodology. Transgenic strains of Aedes aegypti were engineered to have a repressible female-specific flightless phenotype using either two separate transgenes or a single transgene, based on the use of a female-specific indirect flight muscle promoter from the Aedes aegypti Actin-4 gene. These strains eliminate the need for sterilization by irradiation, permit male-only release ("genetic sexing"), and enable the release of eggs instead of adults. Furthermore, these strains are expected to facilitate area-wide control or elimination of dengue if adopted as part of an integrated pest management strategy.
authors.affiliation: Oxitec Limited, 71 Milton Park, Oxford OX14 4RX, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Guoliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Rosemary S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lees
authors.forename: Derric
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nimmo
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aw
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Thomas U
authors.initials: TU
authors.lastname: Berendonk
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: White-Cooper
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scaife
authors.forename: Hoang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim Phuc
authors.forename: Osvaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Marinotti
authors.forename: Nijole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jasinskiene
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alphey
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics; D000330:Aedes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D005426:Flight, Animal; D006801:Humans; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D019595:Severe Dengue / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D019476:Insect Proteins