Transgenic expression of Nix converts genetic females into males and allows automated sex sorting in Aedes albopictus
2022
Lutrat, Célia | Olmo, Roenick | Baldet, Thierry | Bouyer, Jérémy | Marois, Eric | Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes (UMR ASTRE) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) | Modèles Insectes de l'Immunité Innée (M3I) ; Institut de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire (IBMC) ; Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | Département Systèmes Biologiques (Cirad-BIOS) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad) | This study was funded by EU ERC CoG-682387 REVOLINC to J.B. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. Mosquito production and insectarium operation were supported by Agence Nationale de la Recherche grant #ANR-11-EQPX-0022. Part of the technical work was funded by ANR grants #ANR-19-CE35-0007 GDaMO and # 18-CE35-0003-02 BAKOUMBA to E.M. | ANR-11-EQPX-0022,I2MC,Insectarium pour l'Infectiologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire(2011) | ANR-19-CE35-0007,GDaMo,Le forçage génétique comme outil de lutte contre les maladies transmises par les moustiques(2019) | ANR-18-CE35-0003,BAKOUMBA,Dissection de la base génétique d'un phénotype naturel de résistance à la dengue chez le moustique Aedes aegypti(2018) | European Project: 682387,REVOLINC
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Show more [+] Less [-]English. Aedes albopictus is a major vector of arboviruses. Better understanding of its sex determination is crucial for developing mosquito control tools, especially genetic sexing strains. In Aedes aegypti, Nix is the primary gene responsible for masculinization and Nix-expressing genetic females develop into fertile, albeit flightless, males. In Ae. albopictus, Nix has also been implicated in masculinization but its role remains to be further characterized. In this work, we establish Ae. albopictus transgenic lines ectopically expressing Nix. Several are composed exclusively of genetic females, with transgenic individuals being phenotypic and functional males due to the expression of the Nix transgene. Their reproductive fitness is marginally impaired, while their flight performance is similar to controls. Overall, our results show that Nix is sufficient for full masculinization in Ae. albopictus. Moreover, the transgene construct contains a fluorescence marker allowing efficient automated sex sorting. Consequently, such strains constitute valuable sexing strains for genetic control.
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