A male-determining factor in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

作者：Hall, Andrew Brantley; Basu, Sanjay; Jiang, Xiaofang; Qi, Yumin; Timoshevskiy, Vladimir A.; Biedler, James K.; Sharakhova, Maria V.; Elahi, Rubayet; Anderson, Michelle A. E.; Chen, Xiao-Guang; Sharakhov, Igor V.; Adelman, Zach N.^*; Tu, Zhijian

来源：Science, 2015, 348(6240): 1268-1270.

DOI：10.1126/science.aaa2850

• YELLOW-FEVER MOSQUITO
• SEX DETERMINATION
• DOUBLESEX GENE
• DROSOPHILA
• DIFFERENTIATION
• CHROMOSOME
• PATHWAY
• DENGUE

Sex determination in the mosquito Aedes aegypti is governed by a dominant male-determining factor (M factor) located within a Y chromosome-like region called the M locus. Here, we show that an M-locus gene, Nix, functions as an M factor in A. aegypti. Nix exhibits persistent M linkage and early embryonic expression, two characteristics required of an M factor. Nix knockout with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 resulted in largely feminized genetic males and the production of female isoforms of two key regulators of sexual differentiation: doublesex and fruitless. Ectopic expression of Nix resulted in genetic females with nearly complete male genitalia. Thus, Nix is both required and sufficient to initiate male development. This study provides a foundation for mosquito control strategies that convert female mosquitoes into harmless males.

• 出版日期2015-6-12
• 单位Virginia Tech; 南方医科大学; 美国弗吉尼亚理工大学(Virginia Tech)