Site-specific cassette exchange systems in the Aedes aegypti mosquito and the Plutella xylostella moth

PLoS One. 2015 Apr 1;10(4):e0121097. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121097. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Genetically engineered insects are being evaluated as potential tools to decrease the economic and public health burden of mosquitoes and agricultural pest insects. Here we describe a new tool for the reliable and targeted genome manipulation of pest insects for research and field release using recombinase mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) mechanisms. We successfully demonstrated the established ΦC31-RMCE method in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, which is the first report of RMCE in mosquitoes. A new variant of this RMCE system, called iRMCE, combines the ΦC31-att integration system and Cre or FLP-mediated excision to remove extraneous sequences introduced as part of the site-specific integration process. Complete iRMCE was achieved in two important insect pests, Aedes aegypti and the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, demonstrating the transferability of the system across a wide phylogenetic range of insect pests.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / genetics*
  • Aedes / growth & development
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified / genetics
  • Genome, Insect
  • Moths / genetics*
  • Moths / growth & development
  • Ovum / metabolism
  • Plasmids / genetics
  • Plasmids / metabolism
  • Recombinases / genetics
  • Recombinases / metabolism
  • Recombination, Genetic

Substances

  • Recombinases

Grants and funding

REH-K, OS and SM were BBSRC Industrial CASE DPhil students at the University of Oxford and Oxitec Ltd during this research project. All experiments were carried out at Oxitec Ltd. The funding agency had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of manuscript.