Conditional Embryonic Lethality to Improve the Sterile Insect Technique in Ceratitis Capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Overview

Journal BMC Biol

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Biology

Date 2009 Jan 29

PMID 19173707

Citations 52

Authors

Marc F Schetelig

Carlos Caceres

Antigone Zacharopoulou

Gerald Franz

Ernst A Wimmer

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly method used in area-wide pest management of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann; Diptera: Tephritidae). Ionizing radiation used to generate reproductive sterility in the mass-reared populations before release leads to reduction of competitiveness.

Results: Here, we present a first alternative reproductive sterility system for medfly based on transgenic embryonic lethality. This system is dependent on newly isolated medfly promoter/enhancer elements of cellularization-specifically-expressed genes. These elements act differently in expression strength and their ability to drive lethal effector gene activation. Moreover, position effects strongly influence the efficiency of the system. Out of 60 combinations of driver and effector construct integrations, several lines resulted in larval and pupal lethality with one line showing complete embryonic lethality. This line was highly competitive to wildtype medfly in laboratory and field cage tests.

Conclusion: The high competitiveness of the transgenic lines and the achieved 100% embryonic lethality causing reproductive sterility without the need of irradiation can improve the efficacy of operational medfly SIT programs.

Citing Articles

A two-level staging system for the embryonic morphogenesis of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata.

Strobl F, Schmitz A, Schetelig M, Stelzer E PLoS One. 2025; 19(12):e0316391.

PMID: 39774542 PMC: 11684674. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316391.

Improved Transformation with Capped Transposase mRNA in Pest Insects.

Hacker I, Rehling T, Schlosser H, Mayorga-Ch D, Heilig M, Yan Y Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(20).

PMID: 37894833 PMC: 10606561. DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015155.

Effects of antibiotics on the expression of tetracycline-off constructs and the performance of female-killing strains.

Yan Y, Hosseini B, Scheld A, Pasham S, Rehling T, Schetelig M Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023; 11:876492.

PMID: 36865029 PMC: 9971817. DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.876492.

CRISPR/Cas9-induced Mutation of Sex Peptide Receptor Gene Bdspr Affects Ovary, Egg Laying, and Female Fecundity in Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Chen H, Sun H, Xie J, Yao Z, Zheng W, Li Z J Insect Sci. 2023; 23(1).

PMID: 36640045 PMC: 9840094. DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieac078.

Competitive Sperm-Marked Beetles for Monitoring Approaches in Genetic Biocontrol and Studies in Reproductive Biology.

Isah M, Atika B, Dippel S, Ahmed H, Wimmer E Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23(20).

PMID: 36293462 PMC: 9604355. DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012594.

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