Mutagenesis mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta

Chiu, Yen-Hsin; Hsu, Jung-Chen; Chang, Tiffany; Huang, Yu‐Ching; Wang, J.

doi:10.1007/s00040-020-00755-8

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…This is especially true in well-known pest species such as invasive fire ants, which can cause human harm in addition to catastrophic damage to ecosystems and agricultural production [31,32]. In this species, CRISPR genome engineering has already been demonstrated [33], bringing the possibility of developing a gene drive closer to reality. Other major haplodiploid pests that could potentially be the target of a suppression drive include certain bark beetles, which are highly invasive and damaging to many natural forests and the lumber industry, and thrips, which cause major agricultural losses of potatoes, onions, cotton and other crops.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling homing suppression gene drive in haplodiploid organisms

Liu

Champer

2022

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Gene drives have shown great promise for suppression of pest populations. These engineered alleles can function by a variety of mechanisms, but the most common is the CRISPR homing drive, which converts wild-type alleles to drive alleles in the germline of heterozygotes. Some potential target species are haplodiploid, in which males develop from unfertilized eggs and thus have only one copy of each chromosome. This prevents drive conversion, a substantial disadvantage compared to diploids where drive conversion can take place in both sexes. Here, we study homing suppression gene drives in haplodiploids and find that a drive targeting a female fertility gene could still be successful. However, such drives are less powerful than in diploids and suffer more from functional resistance alleles. They are substantially more vulnerable to high resistance allele formation in the embryo owing to maternally deposited Cas9 and guide RNA and also to somatic cleavage activity. Examining spatial models where organisms move over a continuous landscape, we find that haplodiploid suppression drives surprisingly perform nearly as well as in diploids, possibly owing to their ability to spread further before inducing strong suppression. Together, these results indicate that gene drive can potentially be used to effectively suppress haplodiploid populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling homing suppression gene drive in haplodiploid organisms

Liu

Champer

2022

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…However, despite the availability of these resources, the transfer of these techniques to ants and other non-model insects has not been as rapid as many investigators had initially expected. For example, in comparison with the now countless numbers of mutant Drosophila lines that have been produced, there are (at this writing) only three published studies that have successfully utilized CRISPR-Cas9 or any other type of gene editing in ants [ 102 , 103 , 119 ]. This is not entirely surprising given the exclusive constraints imposed by the unique reproductive biology and other atypical features of many eusocial Hymenopteran relative to Drosophila .…”

Section: Genomics Evolution and The Regulation Of Chemosensory Gmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, mutant lines (also targeting O. biroi Orco ) were established from injected individual embryos without the need for extensive crosses [ 103 ]. More recently, CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to induce somatic mutations in the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta [ 119 ]. In this case, rather than attempt to generate stable mutant lines, the authors directly injected worker embryos with Cas9 together with gRNAs targeting GP-9 , which encodes an odorant binding protein suspected of being associated with colony form, and Sinv-spitz , which was thought to be involved in establishing larval oenocytes.…”

Section: Genomics Evolution and The Regulation Of Chemosensory Gmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this case, rather than attempt to generate stable mutant lines, the authors directly injected worker embryos with Cas9 together with gRNAs targeting GP-9 , which encodes an odorant binding protein suspected of being associated with colony form, and Sinv-spitz , which was thought to be involved in establishing larval oenocytes. While these investigators used PCR to successfully establish some molecular evidence of gene targeting, they were unable to observe any physiological or behavioral phenotypes [ 119 ]. At the end of the day, the absence of phenotypic effects raises questions as to the utility of an individual level approach for examining the biology of eusocial ants that function within complex colonies that have often been described as “superorganisms” [ 121 ].…”

Section: Genomics Evolution and The Regulation Of Chemosensory Gmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Advances in the Study of Olfaction in Eusocial Ants

Ferguson

Bakis

Zwiebel

2021

Insects

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Over the past decade, spurred in part by the sequencing of the first ant genomes, there have been major advances in the field of olfactory myrmecology. With the discovery of a significant expansion of the odorant receptor gene family, considerable efforts have been directed toward understanding the olfactory basis of complex social behaviors in ant colonies. Here, we review recent pivotal studies that have begun to reveal insights into the development of the olfactory system as well as how olfactory stimuli are peripherally and centrally encoded. Despite significant biological and technical impediments, substantial progress has been achieved in the application of gene editing and other molecular techniques that notably distinguish the complex olfactory system of ants from other well-studied insect model systems, such as the fruit fly. In doing so, we hope to draw attention not only to these studies but also to critical knowledge gaps that will serve as a compass for future research endeavors.

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“…Establishment of genetic tools in eusocial insects continues to expand into new species. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has notably been established in three ant species, H. saltator [167,168], O. biroi [169], and most recently in the fire ant S. invicta [170]. CRISPR/Cas9 [171][172][173][174][175][176] and transgenesis [177,178] have also been established in the honeybee A. mellifera.…”

Section: Eusocial Insects As Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Epi)Genetic Mechanisms Underlying the Evolutionary Success of Eusocial Insects

Sieber

Dorman

Newell

et al. 2021

Insects

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Eusocial insects, such as bees, ants, and wasps of the Hymenoptera and termites of the Blattodea, are able to generate remarkable diversity in morphology and behavior despite being genetically uniform within a colony. Most eusocial insect species display caste structures in which reproductive ability is possessed by a single or a few queens while all other colony members act as workers. However, in some species, caste structure is somewhat plastic, and individuals may switch from one caste or behavioral phenotype to another in response to certain environmental cues. As different castes normally share a common genetic background, it is believed that much of this observed within-colony diversity results from transcriptional differences between individuals. This suggests that epigenetic mechanisms, featured by modified gene expression without changing genes themselves, may play an important role in eusocial insects. Indeed, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs, have been shown to influence eusocial insects in multiple aspects, along with typical genetic regulation. This review summarizes the most recent findings regarding such mechanisms and their diverse roles in eusocial insects.

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Mutagenesis mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta

Cited by 16 publications

References 48 publications

Modelling homing suppression gene drive in haplodiploid organisms

Modelling homing suppression gene drive in haplodiploid organisms

Advances in the Study of Olfaction in Eusocial Ants

(Epi)Genetic Mechanisms Underlying the Evolutionary Success of Eusocial Insects

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