The sterile insect technique (SIT) has long been a cornerstone of area-wide integrated pest management programs, and the eradication of the New World screwworm Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) from North and Central America is widely regarded as a landmark success. However, its resurgence underscores the need to modernize SIT strategies against this devastating pest. The development of genetic sexing strains (GSS) is a revolutionary idea supporting SIT, enabling efficient large-scale separation and the exclusive release of sterile males. Despite GSSs having been shown to significantly enhance the cost-effectiveness and field efficacy of operational SIT campaigns, no such sexing systems have yet been developed for C. hominivorax. Given recent advances in insect genomics, we consider the development of a screwworm GSS both feasible and timely. In this forum, we critically evaluate the potential for translating decades of GSS research into C. hominivorax by leveraging the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. To make evidence accessible to a broader audience, we present a narrative overview covering the (i) genetics of GSSs, (ii) current approaches for precise engineering of analogous sexing systems, (iii) knowledge gaps and technical challenges in developing CRISPR-engineered GSSs in screwworm, and (iv) regulatory landscape governing genome-edited insects in the Americas in comparison to other contemporaneous biotechnologies. We argue that establishing a screwworm GSS would provide immediate benefits to existing management programs and hope this synthesis will inform and encourage future studies on this effort.
D. F. Paulo, Omar S. Akbari, S. Geib· Journal of Economic Entomolo...· 0 citations
Diabrotica undecimpunctata ssp. howardi, the southern corn rootworm or eastern 12-spotted cucumber beetle, is a generalist insect herbivore that causes damage and yield loss to several crops in North America including maize. Unresolved phylogenetic relationships within and among D. undecimpunctata subspecies are impacting current quarantine policies. We report the chromosome-level haploid genome assembly, icDiaUnde3, constructed using HiFi and Hi-C read data from a single male D. undecimpunctata collected and identified as subspecies howardi based on geographic location and morphology. The primary 1.74 Gbp assembly is scaffolded into 11 chromosome-length scaffolds representing 9 autosomes, a single X chromosome and a supernumerary (B) chromosome (scaffold N50 = 162.8 Mb and L50 = 5). Ab initio and evidence-based structural reference sequence (RefSeq) annotations predicted 18,959 protein-coding genes, in which 99.2% of the 1,367 Benchmark Universal Single-Copy Orthologs from Insecta were complete. Repeat elements occupy 1.26 Gbp (72.33%) of the icDiaUnde3 assembly, with nearly 36% predicted to be retroelements. Alignment of whole chromosomes from icDiaUnde3 with those previously assembled from Diabrotica spp. predicted 2 and 6 autosomal inversions with D. balteata and D. virgifera virgifera, respectively. The mitochondrial genome had an annotated gene order and orientation conserved among beetles. The icDiaUnde3 reference genome assembly is a vital resource for taxonomic, comparative, and functional studies to enhance sustainable crop production.
Brad S. Coates, S. Geib, L. R. Tembrock et al.· Genome Biology and Evolution· 0 citations
We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads.
See our Cookie Policy.
