Genetically modified insect
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A genetically modified (GM) insect is an
Types of genetic pest management
The sterile insect technique (SIT) was developed conceptually in the 1930s and 1940s and first used in the environment in the 1950s.[7][8][9] SIT is a control strategy where male insects are sterilized, usually by irradiation, then released to mate with wild females. If enough males are released, the females will mate with mostly sterile males and lay non-viable eggs. This causes the population of insects to crash (the abundance of insects is extremely diminished), and in some cases can lead to local eradication. Irradiation is a form of mutagenesis which causes random mutations in DNA.
Release of Insects carrying Dominant Lethals (RIDL)
Release of Insects carrying Dominant Lethals or RIDL is a control strategy using genetically engineered insects that have (carry) a lethal gene in their genome (an organism's DNA).
Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT)
Maternal Effect Dominant Embryonic Arrest (MEDEA)
X-Shredder
Concerns
There are concerns about using tetracycline on a routine basis for controlling the expression of lethal genes. There are plausible routes for resistance genes to develop in the
Releases
Oxitec released its genetically modified in various countries, including Brazil, Grand Cayman, Malaysia, Panama, and the US.
Modified species
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Biological research
- Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are model organisms used in an array of biological disciplines (i.e. neurobiology, population genetics, ecology, animal behavior, systematics, genomics, and development).[18][19][20] Many studies done with Drosophila species have been foundational in their respective fields, and they remain important models for other organisms, including humans. For example, they have contributed to understanding economically important insects and researching human disease and development.[21][22] Fruit flies are often preferred over other animals due to their short life cycle, reproduction rate, low maintenance requirements, and amenability to mutagenesis. They are also the model genetic organism for historical reasons, being one of the first model organism and have a high quality completed genome.
Genetic pest management
- Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti)
- Malaria mosquito (Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi)[23][24][25]
- Pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella)
Diamondback moth
The diamondback moth's
Opponents claim that the protein made by the synthetic gene could harm non-target organisms that eat the moths. The creators claim to have tested the gene's protein on mosquitoes, fish, beetles, spiders and
Mediterranean fruit fly
The Mediterranean fruit fly is a global agricultural pest. They infest a wide range of crops (over 300) including wild fruit, vegetables and nuts, and in the process, cause substantial damage.[30] The company Oxitec has developed GM-males which have a lethal gene that interrupts female development and kills them in a process called "pre-pupal female lethality". After several generations, the fly population diminishes as the males can no longer find mates. To breed the flies in the laboratory, the lethal gene can be "silenced" using the antibiotic tetracycline.[30]
Opponents argue that the long-term effects of releasing millions of GM-flies are impossible to predict. Dead fly larvae could be left inside crops. Helen Wallace from
Legislation
In July 2015, the House of Lords (U.K.) Science and Technology Committee launched an inquiry into the possible uses of GM-insects and their associated technologies. The scope of the inquiry is to include questions such as "Would farmers benefit if insects were modified in order to reduce crop pests? What are the safety and ethical concerns over the release of genetically modified insects? How should this emerging technology be regulated?"[31]
Notes and references
- ^ "National Center for Biotechnology Information". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ Group, FlyBase Web Development. "FlyBase Homepage". flybase.org. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ "Welcome to VectorBase! | VectorBase". www.vectorbase.org. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ "BeetleBase |". beetlebase.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ "5,000 Insect Genome Project (i5k) Launched | Entomological Society of America". Archived from the original on 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
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- ^ Roberts, Michelle (24 November 2015). "Mutant mosquitoes 'resist malaria'". BBC News Health. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- PMID 26598698.
- PMID 23313953.
- ^ PMID 26179401.
- ^ Miyata, Tadashi; Saito, Tetsuo; Noppun, Virapong, Studies on the mechanism resistance to insecticides of diamondback moth (PDF), Laboratory of Applied Entomology and Nematology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nagoya University, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-15, retrieved September 7, 2015
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ a b c Hogenboom, M. (August 14, 2015). "Genetically modified flies 'could save crops'". BBC. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
- ^ "Genetically modified insects subject of new Lords inquiry". www.parliament.co.uk. July 20, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
See also
- Inherited sterility in insects
- List of sterile insect technique trials
- Insect ecology
- Detection of genetically modified organisms
External links
- Transgenic Fly Virtual Lab - Howard Hughes Medical Institute BioInteractive
- Wentworth, Jonathan (2014-11-04), GM Insects and Disease Control, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, archived from the original on 2016-02-28, retrieved 20 November 2014