A Y chromosome-linked genome editor for efficient population suppression in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae

Ignacio Tolosana, Katie Willis, Matthew Gribble, Lee Phillimore, Austin Burt, Tony Nolan (), Andrea Crisanti and Federica Bernardini ()
Additional contact information
Ignacio Tolosana: Imperial College London
Katie Willis: Imperial College London
Matthew Gribble: Imperial College London
Lee Phillimore: Imperial College London
Austin Burt: Imperial College London
Tony Nolan: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Andrea Crisanti: Imperial College London
Federica Bernardini: Imperial College London

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Genetic control – the deliberate introduction of genetic traits to control a pest or vector population – offers a powerful tool to augment conventional mosquito control tools that have been successful in reducing malaria burden but that are compromised by a range of operational challenges. Self-sustaining genetic control strategies have shown great potential in laboratory settings, but hesitancy due to their invasive and persistent nature may delay their implementation. Here, instead, we describe a self-limiting strategy, designed to have geographically and temporally restricted effect, based on a Y chromosome-linked genome editor (YLE). The YLE comprises a CRISPR-Cas9 construct that is always inherited by males yet generates an autosomal dominant mutation that is transmitted to over 90% of the offspring and results in female-specific sterility. To our knowledge, our system represents a pioneering approach in the engineering of the Y chromosome to generate a genetic control strain for mosquitoes. Mathematical modelling shows that this YLE technology is up to seven times more efficient for population suppression than optimal versions of other self-limiting strategies, such as the widely used Sterile Insect Technique or the Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal gene.

Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55391-8 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-55391-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55391-8

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().