Magori Krisztian, Gould Fred
Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, USA.
Genetics. 2006 Apr;172(4):2613-20. doi: 10.1534/genetics.105.051789. Epub 2006 Jan 16.
We theoretically investigate the potential for introgressing a desired engineered gene into a pest population by linking the desired gene to DNA constructs that exhibit underdominance properties. Our deterministic model includes two independently segregating engineered constructs that both carry a lethal gene, but suppress each other. Only genotypes containing both or neither construct are viable. Both constructs also carry the desired gene with an independent regulatory mechanism. We examine the minimal number of individuals of an engineered strain that must be released into a natural population to successfully introgress the desired gene. We compare results for strains carrying single and multiple insertions of the constructs. When there are no fitness costs associated with the inserted constructs (when the lethal sequences are not expressed), the number of individuals that must be released decreases as the number of insertions in the genome of the released strain increases. As fitness costs increase, the number of individuals that must be released increases at a greater rate for release strains with more insertions. Under specific conditions this results in the strain with only a single insertion of each construct being the most efficient for introgressing the desired gene. We discuss practical implications of our findings.
我们从理论上研究了通过将所需基因与表现出超显性特性的DNA构建体相连，从而将所需工程基因渗入害虫种群的可能性。我们的确定性模型包括两个独立分离的工程构建体，它们都携带一个致死基因，但相互抑制。只有同时包含两个构建体或不包含任何构建体的基因型才是可行的。两个构建体还通过独立的调控机制携带所需基因。我们研究了必须释放到自然种群中以成功渗入所需基因的工程菌株的最小个体数量。我们比较了携带单个和多个构建体插入的菌株的结果。当与插入的构建体没有适应性成本时（当致死序列不表达时），必须释放的个体数量随着释放菌株基因组中插入数量的增加而减少。随着适应性成本的增加，对于插入数量更多的释放菌株，必须释放的个体数量增加得更快。在特定条件下，这导致每个构建体仅插入一次的菌株对于渗入所需基因最为有效。我们讨论了我们研究结果的实际意义。
