Open AccessCRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in the West Nile Virus vector, Culex quinquefasciatus Say
Author(s) -
Michelle A. E. Anderson,
Jessica Mavica,
Lewis Shackleford,
Ilona Flis,
Sophia Fochler,
Subhash Basu,
Luke Alphey
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0224857
Subject(s) - culex quinquefasciatus , crispr , biology , culex , genome editing , vector (molecular biology) , cas9 , gene , genetics , computational biology , ecology , aedes aegypti , larva , recombinant dna
Culex quinquefasciatus Say is an opportunistic blood feeder with a wide geographic distribution which is also a major vector for a range of diseases of both animals and humans. CRISPR/Cas technologies have been applied to a wide variety of organisms for both applied and basic research purposes. CRISPR/Cas methods open new possibilities for genetic research in non-model organisms of public health importance. In this work we have adapted microinjection techniques commonly used in other mosquito species to Culex quinquefasciatus , and have shown these to be effective at generating homozygous knock-out mutations of a target gene in one generation. This is the first description of the kmo gene and mutant phenotype in this species.