A multiplexed, confinable CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive can propagate in caged Aedes aegypti populations

Aedes aegypti is the main vector of several major pathogens including dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. Classical mosquito control strategies utilizing insecticides are threatened by rising resistance. This has stimulated interest in new genetic systems such as gene drivesHere, we test the regulatory sequences from the Ae. aegypti benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn) homolog to express Cas9 and a separate multiplexing sgRNA-expressing cassette inserted into the Ae. aegypti kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (kmo) gene. When combined, these two elements provide highly effective germline cutting at the kmo locus and act as a gene drive. Our target genetic element drives through a cage trial population such that carrier frequency of the element increases from 50% to up to 89% of the population despite significant fitness costs to kmo insertions. Deep sequencing suggests that the multiplexing design could mitigate resistance allele formation in our gene drive system

Subspecies in the Sarus Crane Antigone antigone revisited; with particular reference to the Australian population.

Subspecies are often less well-defined than species but have become one of the basic units for legal protection. Evidence for the erection or synonymy of subspecies therefore needs to be founded on the best science available. Here we show that there is clear genetic disjunction in the Sarus Crane Antigone antigone, where previously the variation had appeared to be clinal. Based on a total sample of 76 individuals, analysis of 10 microsatellite loci from 67 samples and 49 sequences from the mitochondrial control region, this research establishes that the Australian Sarus Crane A. a. gillae differs significantly from both A. a. antigone (South Asia) and A. a. sharpii (Myanmar and Indochina). A single sample from the extinct Philippine subspecies A. a luzonica clustered with A. a. gillae, hinting at the potential for a more recent separation between them than from A. a. antigone and A. a. sharpii, even though A. a. sharpii is closer geographically. The results demonstrate that failure to detect subspecies through initial genetic profiling does not mean discontinuities are absent and has significance for other cases where subspecies are dismissed based on partial genetic evidence. It could also be potentially important for sourcing birds for reintroduction to the Philippines