1 research outputs found
Transgenesis and conditional lethality in Aedes albopictus
The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is a vector of several arboviruses including
dengue and chikungunya. This highly invasive species originates from Southeast Asia and has
spread across the world in the last 30 years. It is now established in Europe, North and South
America, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. In the absence of vaccine or antiviral
drugs, efficient mosquito control strategies are crucial. Conventional control methods have
so far failed to adequately control Ae. albopictus. Using germline transformation technology,
a technique known as Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal (RIDL) proposes to
enhance the sterile insect technique by replacing irradiation with inherited dominant lethal
genes. While this technology has recently shown some success in the field against the yellow
fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.), it remains to be implemented against Ae. albopictus. This
thesis presents the development and application of gene transfer and site-specific
integration technologies in Ae. albopictus, as well as the creation of tetracycline-repressible,
female-specific flightless lines for vector control based on the RIDL method. Germline
transformation and site-specific integration were performed using the piggyBac transposon
and the ФC31 system, respectively. Ae. albopictus RIDL strains showing a conditional female-specific flightless phenotype were created using both the Ae. aegypti and the Ae. albopictus
Actin-4 regulatory regions. Conditionality was provided by the ‘Tet-Off’ system, which is
suppressed in the presence of tetracycline (and suitable analogues). One of these strains was
assessed for attributes relevant to a RIDL control programme. Specific tailoring of the RIDL
transgene with alternative transactivator elements was investigated using the ФC31 system.
The work presented in this thesis lays the foundations for the application of the RIDL
strategy to Ae. albopictus, an innovative vector-control method offering a promising
alternative for efficient control of this highly invasive insect