CRISPR-based gene drives generate super-Mendelian inheritance in the disease vector Culex quinquefasciatus

Tim Harvey-Samuel, Xuechun Feng (), Emily M. Okamoto, Deepak-Kumar Purusothaman, Philip T. Leftwich, Luke Alphey () and Valentino M. Gantz ()
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Tim Harvey-Samuel: The Pirbright Institute
Xuechun Feng: University of California San Diego
Emily M. Okamoto: University of California San Diego
Deepak-Kumar Purusothaman: The Pirbright Institute
Philip T. Leftwich: University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park
Luke Alphey: The Pirbright Institute
Valentino M. Gantz: University of California San Diego

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Culex mosquitoes pose a significant public health threat as vectors for a variety of diseases including West Nile virus and lymphatic filariasis, and transmit pathogens threatening livestock, companion animals, and endangered birds. Rampant insecticide resistance makes controlling these mosquitoes challenging and necessitates the development of new control strategies. Gene drive technologies have made significant progress in other mosquito species, although similar advances have been lagging in Culex. Here we test a CRISPR-based homing gene drive for Culex quinquefasciatus, and show that the inheritance of two split-gene-drive transgenes, targeting different loci, are biased in the presence of a Cas9-expressing transgene although with modest efficiencies. Our findings extend the list of disease vectors where engineered homing gene drives have been demonstrated to include Culex alongside Anopheles and Aedes, and pave the way for future development of these technologies to control Culex mosquitoes.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41834-1

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