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[SANET-MG] gm insects or not
Recently a transgenic small regulatory RNA (RNAi) gene was introduced
into Anopheles mosquitoes to prevent parasite infection of the insect
that led to spread of Dengue virus infections of humans. Somewhat
similar strategies have been developed to prevent infection of
mosquitoes with the malaria parasite. The paper below indicates that
mosquitoes may have natural resistance genes and that the parasite
infected population could, in theory, be replaced with the naturally
resistant mosquitoes. The natural resistance is based on leucine rich
repeat (LRR) proteins LRR proteins are a group of proteins providing
disease resistance in animals and plants alike (recently I wrote about
the nucleotide binding site-leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR) proteins
providing late blight resistance in potato). The problem facing the
malaria control genetic engineers is modifying mosquitoes for parasite
resistance more effective than eliminating the mosquitoes sensitive to
parasite infection. It is interesting to note that Bill and Melissa
Gates have bankrolled the fight against malaria providing rich grant
support. It is hoped that the natural genes will not be left out from
the pot of money being provided for malaria research.
Science 28 April 2006:
Vol. 312. no. 5773, pp. 577 - 579
DOI: 10.1126/science.1124153
Reports
Natural Malaria Infection in Anopheles gambiae Is Regulated by a Single
Genomic Control Region
Michelle M. Riehle,1* Kyriacos Markianos,2* Oumou Niaré,3 Jiannong Xu,1
Jun Li,1 Abdoulaye M. Touré,3 Belco Podiougou,3 Frederick Oduol,1 Sory
Diawara,3 Mouctar Diallo,3 Boubacar Coulibaly,3 Ahmed Ouatara,3 Leonid
Kruglyak,4 Sékou F. Traoré,3 Kenneth D. Vernick1
We surveyed an Anopheles gambiae population in a West African malaria
transmission zone for naturally occurring genetic loci that control
mosquito infection with the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium
falciparum. The strongest Plasmodium resistance loci cluster in a small
region of chromosome 2L and each locus explains at least 89% of
parasite-free mosquitoes in independent pedigrees. Together, the
clustered loci form a genomic Plasmodium-resistance island that explains
most of the genetic variation for malaria parasite infection of
mosquitoes in nature. Among the candidate genes in this chromosome
region, RNA interference knockdown assays confirm a role in Plasmodium
resistance for Anopheles Plasmodium-responsive leucine-rich repeat 1
(APL1), encoding a leucine-rich repeat protein that is similar to
molecules involved in natural pathogen resistance mechanisms in plants
and mammals.
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