Maleness Gene in Mosquito Discovered; Could Enable Genetic Control of Malaria
July 13, 2016| |
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute in the United Kingdom have isolated a gene which determines maleness in the species of mosquito responsible for transmitting malaria.
Led by Dr. Jaroslaw Krzywinski, Head of the Vector Molecular Biology group at The Pirbright Institute, the team identified and characterized the Yob gene, responsible for regulating the sex of the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and determines maleness.
The scientists identified Yob on the Y chromosome as the dominant male-determining gene, making it only the second known gene of this kind to be molecularly identified in insects. Its key application is its effect on female development. When Yob transcripts were injected into early embryos, females were killed before they hatched from eggs, while male development was unaffected. Conversely, when Yob was silenced in early embryos, the males were killed.
For more details, read the news release at The Pirbright University website.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Biotech Scientists and Communicators Discuss Strategies to Strengthen Knowledge Sharing
- New Discoveries to Help Scientists Harness Power of Photosynthesis
- Survey Shows Vermont GMO Labeling Mandate Misleads Consumers
- Team of Researchers Study the Ecology of a New GM Crop
- U.S. Senate Passes Biotech Labeling Bill
- Researchers Identify Characteristics Improving Bean's Resistance to Drought
- New Study Shows How Plants Sense Electric Fields
-
Research Highlights
- Researchers Find Overlapping QTL for Stomatal Traits and Yield in Wheat
- Botrytis-Induced Kinase1 Negatively Regulates Phosphate Homeostasis in Arabidopsis
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Maleness Gene in Mosquito Discovered; Could Enable Genetic Control of Malaria
- USDA Scientists Decode Genome of Cacao's Fungal Pathogen
- Hokkaido University Researchers Develop CRISPR/Cas9-Based Method for Gene Activation
-
Announcements
- Genomics and Bioinformatics
-
Resources
- ACB Releases GM Soya Report in South Africa
- Voices and Views: Addressing Biotech Critics
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 17, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 10, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet