Award details

Deciphering molecular basis of mosquito development and vectorial capacity to facilitate novel approaches to vector-borne disease control

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001854
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Jaroslaw Krzywinski
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	541,100
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	03/07/2013
End date	31/03/2017
Duration	44 months

Abstract

Insect-borne diseases affecting livestock and man constitute a major international socio-economic and public health problem. Understanding the basic biology of insect vectors is essential for the development of more effective approaches to control these diseases. Our current work concentrates on genes involved in mosquito sex determination and spermatogenesis pathways. We use state of the art methods of transcriptome profiling and comparative genomics to identify genes vital in these developmental processes. Our findings are further validated by qRT-PCR and functional analyses involving RNA in situ hybridization and in vivo knock-down or overexpression of individual genes in transgenic mosquitoes. Interfering with the expression of sex determination genes should lead to female-specific embryonic lethality (recently documented by our group) or masculinization. Spermatogenesis genes with no discernible homologues in non-mosquito taxa represent highly promising targets to cause selective mosquito-specific male sterility. Information on genes from both pathways could be utilized in transgenic technology to conditionally eliminate females and efficiently produce sterile male generations for genetic vector control. Beyond genetic control, products of spermatogenesis genes can also be targeted by new mosquito-specific sterilizing compounds. In parallel with these activities we are exploring possibilities of collaboration with colleagues at the Pirbright Institute to understand molecular mechanisms of vector-virus interactions.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Animal Health
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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