title: SEX DETERMINATION. A male-determining factor in the mosquito Aedes aegypti.
abstract: Sex determination in the mosquito Aedes aegypti is governed by a dominant male-determining factor (M factor) located within a Y chromosome-like region called the M locus. Here, we show that an M-locus gene, Nix, functions as an M factor in A. aegypti. Nix exhibits persistent M linkage and early embryonic expression, two characteristics required of an M factor. Nix knockout with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 resulted in largely feminized genetic males and the production of female isoforms of two key regulators of sexual differentiation: doublesex and fruitless. Ectopic expression of Nix resulted in genetic females with nearly complete male genitalia. Thus, Nix is both required and sufficient to initiate male development. This study provides a foundation for mosquito control strategies that convert female mosquitoes into harmless males.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew Brantley
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaofang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Yumin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Vladimir A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Timoshevskiy
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Biedler
authors.affiliation: Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Maria V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Sharakhova
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Rubayet
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elahi
authors.affiliation: Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle A E
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Igor V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Sharakhov
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. jaketu@vt.edu zachadel@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Zach N
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Adelman
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USA. Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. jaketu@vt.edu zachadel@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Zhijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tu
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D000818:Animals; D064112:Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats; D005260:Female; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D017344:Genes, Insect; D056426:Genetic Loci; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods; D019849:Sex Determination Processes / Q000235:genetics*