Aedes aegypti CCEae3A carboxylase expression confers carbamate, organophosphate and limited pyrethroid resistance in a model transgenic mosquito

Insecticide resistance is a serious threat to our ability to control mosquito vectors which transmit pathogens including malaria parasites and arboviruses. Understanding the underlying mechanisms is an essential first step in tackling the challenges presented by resistance. This study aimed to functionally characterise the carboxylesterase, CCEae3A, the elevated expression of which has been implicated in temephos resistance in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus larvae. Using our GAL4/UAS expression system, already established in insecticide-sensitive Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, we produced transgenic An. gambiae mosquitoes that express an Ae. aegypti CCEae3A ubiquitously. This new transgenic line permits examination of CCEae3A expression in a background in which there is not a clear orthologue in Vectorbase and allows comparison with existing An. gambiae GAL4-UAS lines. Insecticide resistance profiling of these transgenic An. gambiae larvae indicated significant increases in resistance ratio for three organophosphate insecticides, temephos (6), chloropyriphos (6.6) and fenthion (3.2) when compared to the parental strain. Cross resistance to adulticides from three major insecticide classes: organophosphates (malathion, fenitrothion and pirimiphos methyl), carbamates (bendiocarb and propoxur) and pyrethroid (alpha-cypermethrin) was also detected. Resistance to certain organophosphates and carbamates validates conclusions drawn from previous expression and phenotypic data. However, detection of resistance to pirimiphos methyl and alphacypermethrin has not previously been formally associated with CCEae3A, despite occurring in Ae. aegypti strains where this gene was upregulated. Our findings highlight the importance of characterising individual resistance mechanisms, thereby ensuring accurate information is used to guide future vector control strategies.

Measuring the Impact of Genetic Heterogeneity and Chromosomal Inversions on the Efficacy of CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Drives in Different Strains of Anopheles gambiae

The human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae is becoming increasingly resistant to insecticides, spurring the development of genetic control strategies. CRISPR-Cas9 gene drives can modify a population by creating double-stranded breaks at highly specific targets, triggering copying of the gene drive into the cut site ("homing"), ensuring its inheritance. The DNA repair mechanism responsible requires homology between the donor and recipient chromosomes, presenting challenges for the invasion of laboratory-developed gene drives into wild populations of target species An. gambiae species complex, which show high levels of genome variation. Two gene drives (vas2-5958 and zpg-7280) were introduced into three An. gambiae strains collected across Africa with 5.3-6.6% variation around the target sites, and the effect of this variation on homing was measured. Gene drive homing across different karyotypes of the 2La chromosomal inversion was also assessed. No decrease in gene drive homing was seen despite target site heterology, demonstrating the applicability of gene drives to wild populations.

Transgenic Drosophila to Functionally Validate Fall Armyworm ABCC2 Mutations Conferring Bt Resistance

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith; Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an invasive agricultural pest with a global distribution, causing major crop losses annually. Its control strategies largely rely on chemical insecticides and transgenic crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal proteins (Cry and Vip toxins); however, the development of high resistance poses a significant issue. The ATP-binding cassette transporter C2 (ABCC2) has been linked to Cry toxin pore formation, acting as a receptor of some Cry toxins. Recently detected mutations in the SfABCC2 gene in extracellular loop 4 (ECL4) have been associated with Bt toxin resistance in FAW. In the present study, we expressed the SfABCC2 gene in Drosophila melanogaster, a species normally unaffected by the Bt toxins. We demonstrate that susceptibility can be introduced by the ectopic and tissue-specific expression of wildtype SfABCC2. Next, we introduced mutations into ECL4-both individually and in combination-that have been recently described in Brazilian FAW and functionally validated by toxicity bioassays against the foliar Bt product Xentari. Our results provide an efficient demonstration of the suitability of transgenic Drosophila for validating FAW ABCC2 resistance mutations in ECL4 against Bt toxins, and potential cross-resistance issues between closely related proteins that use ABCC2.

CRISPR-mediated knock-in of transgenes into the malaria vector Anopheles funestus

The ability to introduce mutations, or transgenes, of choice to precise genomic locations has revolutionized our ability to understand how genes and organisms work. In many mosquito species that are vectors of various human diseases, the advent of CRISPR genome editing tools has shed light on basic aspects of their biology that are relevant to their efficiency as disease vectors. This allows a better understanding of how current control tools work and opens up the possibility of novel genetic control approaches, such as gene drives, that deliberately introduce genetic traits into populations. Yet for the Anopheles funestus mosquito, a significant vector of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and indeed the dominant vector species in many countries, transgenesis has yet to be achieved. We describe herein an optimized transformation system based on the germline delivery of CRISPR components that allows efficient cleavage of a previously validated genomic site and preferential repair of these cut sites via homology-directed repair (HDR), which allows the introduction of exogenous template sequence, rather than end-joining repair. The rates of transformation achieved are sufficiently high that it should be able to introduce alleles of choice to a target locus, and recover these, without the need to include additional dominant marker genes. Moreover, the high rates of HDR observed suggest that gene drives, which employ an HDR-type mechanism to ensure their proliferation in the genome, may be well suited to work in A. funestus.

Using the GAL4-UAS System for Functional Genetics in Anopheles gambiae

The bipartite GAL4-UAS system is a versatile and powerful tool for functional genetic analysis. The essence of the system is to cross transgenic 'driver' lines that express the yeast transcription factor GAL4 in a tissue specific manner, with transgenic 'responder' lines carrying a candidate gene/RNA interference construct whose expression is controlled by Upstream Activation Sequences (UAS) that bind GAL4. In the ensuing progeny, the gene or silencing construct is thus expressed in a prescribed spatiotemporal manner, enabling the resultant phenotypes to be assayed and gene function inferred. The binary system enables flexibility in experimental approaches to screen phenotypes generated by transgene expression in multiple tissue-specific patterns, even if severe fitness costs are induced. We have adapted this system for Anopheles gambiae, the principal malaria vector in Africa. In this article, we provide some of the common procedures used during GAL4-UAS analysis. We describe the An. gambiae GAL4-UAS lines already generated, as well as the cloning of new responder constructs for upregulation and RNAi knockdown. We specify a step by step guide for sexing of mosquito pupae to establish genetic crosses, that also includes screening progeny to follow inheritance of fluorescent gene markers that tag the driver and responder insertions. We also present a protocol for clearing An. gambiae embryos to study embryonic development. Finally, we introduce potential adaptions of the method to generate driver lines through CRISPR/Cas9 insertion of GAL4 downstream of target genes.

New insecticide screening platforms indicate that Mitochondrial Complex I inhibitors are susceptible to cross-resistance by mosquito P450s that metabolise pyrethroids

Fenazaquin, pyridaben, tolfenpyrad and fenpyroximate are Complex I inhibitors offering a new mode of action for insecticidal malaria vector control. However, extended exposure to pyrethroid based products such as long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) has created mosquito populations that are largely pyrethroid-resistant, often with elevated levels of P450s that can metabolise and neutralise diverse substrates. To assess cross-resistance liabilities of the Complex I inhibitors, we profiled their susceptibility to metabolism by P450s associated with pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles gambiae (CYPs 6M2, 6P3, 6P4, 6P5, 9J5, 9K1, 6Z2) and An. funestus (CYP6P9a). All compounds were highly susceptible. Transgenic An. gambiae overexpressing CYP6M2 or CYP6P3 showed reduced mortality when exposed to fenpyroximate and tolfenpyrad. Mortality from fenpyroximate was also reduced in pyrethroid-resistant strains of An. gambiae (VK7 2014 and Tiassalé 13) and An. funestus (FUMOZ-R). P450 inhibitor piperonyl butoxide (PBO) significantly enhanced the efficacy of fenpyroximate and tolfenpyrad, fully restoring mortality in fenpyroximate-exposed FUMOZ-R. Overall, results suggest that in vivo and in vitro assays are a useful guide in the development of new vector control products, and that the Complex I inhibitors tested are susceptible to metabolic cross-resistance and may lack efficacy in controlling pyrethroid resistant mosquitoes.

A sensory appendage protein protects malaria vectors from pyrethroids

Pyrethroid-impregnated bed nets have driven considerable reductions in malaria-associated morbidity and mortality in Africa since the beginning of the century1. The intense selection pressure exerted by bed nets has precipitated widespread and escalating resistance to pyrethroids in African Anopheles populations, threatening to reverse the gains that been made by malaria control2. Here we show that expression of a sensory appendage protein (SAP2), which is enriched in the legs, confers pyrethroid resistance to Anopheles gambiae. Expression of SAP2 is increased in insecticide-resistant populations and is further induced after the mosquito comes into contact with pyrethroids. SAP2 silencing fully restores mortality of the mosquitoes, whereas SAP2 overexpression results in increased resistance, probably owing to high-affinity binding of SAP2 to pyrethroid insecticides. Mining of genome sequence data reveals a selective sweep near the SAP2 locus in the mosquito populations of three West African countries (Cameroon, Guinea and Burkina Faso) with the observed increase in haplotype-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms mirroring the increasing resistance of mosquitoes to pyrethroids reported in Burkina Faso. Our study identifies a previously undescribed mechanism of insecticide resistance that is likely to be highly relevant to malaria control efforts.

Iron Oxide Colloidal Nanoclusters as Theranostic Vehicles and Their Interactions at the Cellular Level

Advances in surfactant-assisted chemical approaches have led the way for the exploitation of nanoscale inorganic particles in medical diagnosis and treatment. In this field, magnetically-driven multimodal nanotools that perform both detection and therapy, well-designed in size, shape and composition, are highly advantageous. Such a theranostic material—which entails the controlled assembly of smaller (maghemite) nanocrystals in a secondary motif that is highly dispersible in aqueous media—is discussed here. These surface functionalized, pomegranate-like ferrimagnetic nanoclusters (40⁻85 nm) are made of nanocrystal subunits that show a remarkable magnetic resonance imaging contrast efficiency, which is better than that of the superparamagnetic contrast agent Endorem©. Going beyond this attribute and with their demonstrated low cytotoxicity in hand, we examine the critical interaction of such nanoprobes with cells at different physiological environments. The time-dependent in vivo scintigraphic imaging of mice experimental models, combined with a biodistribution study, revealed the accumulation of nanoclusters in the spleen and liver. Moreover, the in vitro proliferation of spleen cells and cytokine production witnessed a size-selective regulation of immune system cells, inferring that smaller clusters induce mainly inflammatory activities, while larger ones induce anti-inflammatory actions. The preliminary findings corroborate that the modular chemistry of magnetic iron oxide nanoclusters stimulates unexplored pathways that could be driven to alter their function in favor of healthcare.