Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
J Exp Biol. 2020 Feb 7;223(Pt Suppl 1):jeb208181. doi: 10.1242/jeb.208181.
Vector-borne diseases, such as dengue, Zika and malaria, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. These diseases have proven difficult to control and currently available management tools are insufficient to eliminate them in many regions. Gene drives have the potential to revolutionize vector-borne disease control. This suite of technologies has advanced rapidly in recent years as a result of the availability of new, more efficient gene editing technologies. Gene drives can favorably bias the inheritance of a linked disease-refractory gene, which could possibly be exploited (i) to generate a vector population incapable of transmitting disease or (ii) to disrupt an essential gene for viability or fertility, which could eventually eliminate a population. Importantly, gene drives vary in characteristics such as their transmission efficiency, confinability and reversibility, and their potential to develop resistance to the drive mechanism. Here, we discuss recent advancements in the gene drive field, and contrast the benefits and limitations of a variety of technologies, as well as approaches to overcome these limitations. We also discuss the current state of each gene drive technology and the technical considerations that need to be addressed on the pathway to field implementation. While there are still many obstacles to overcome, recent progress has brought us closer than ever before to genetic-based vector modification as a tool to support vector-borne disease elimination efforts worldwide.
虫媒传染病，如登革热、寨卡和疟疾，是全球发病率和死亡率的主要原因。这些疾病难以控制，目前可用的管理工具在许多地区都不足以消灭它们。基因驱动有潜力彻底改变虫媒传染病的控制方式。近年来，由于新的、更有效的基因编辑技术的出现，这些技术迅速发展。基因驱动可以有利地偏向与疾病抗性相关的基因的遗传，这可能被利用来：(i) 产生无法传播疾病的载体种群；或 (ii) 破坏生存或繁殖所必需的基因，从而最终消灭一个种群。重要的是，基因驱动在其传播效率、局限性和可逆性以及对驱动机制产生抗性的潜力等方面存在差异。在这里，我们讨论了基因驱动领域的最新进展，并对比了各种技术的优势和局限性，以及克服这些局限性的方法。我们还讨论了每种基因驱动技术的现状，以及在向田间实施的道路上需要解决的技术考虑因素。虽然还有许多障碍需要克服，但最近的进展使我们比以往任何时候都更接近将基于遗传的载体修饰作为支持全球消除虫媒传染病的一种工具。
