Sex-sorting Aedes aegypti for sterile insect technique (SIT) by knocking down four different gene targets, expressed in the guts of female larvae

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorFelix, Sharon
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-24T21:25:19Z
dc.date.available2023-11-24T21:25:19Z
dc.date.issued2023-04
dc.date.submitted2023-11-24T21:25:19Zen_US
dc.degree.disciplineBiological Sciencesen_US
dc.degree.levelBachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
dc.description.abstractMosquitoes are vectors for diseases that affect approximately 0.7 billion people globally. Most of these diseases have a high incidence in tropical often developing countries, where they prove either fatal or severely debilitating. Despite huge investments of time and money to find solutions, we have been unable to control this disease vector. Additionally, some of the techniques previously and currently in use to prevent these diseases, have serious drawbacks such as detrimental effects on non-target species, humans and the environment. We need eco-friendly alternatives to these harmful chemicals, that are just as efficient while also being species-specific to avoid harmful effects on other beneficial insect species. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is a creative technology that does just that. It involves the mass release of sterile males of a species to outcompete wild males and mate with wild females, eventually resulting in the decline of a targeted insect population. However, before these sterile males are released, they must be separated from females. An efficient way to sex-sort males from females can use RNA interference (RNAi). RNAi is a natural defence mechanism that exists in eukaryotic cells, that can be used to knock down female-biased or female-specific genes. Targeted females will develop slower than their male counterparts due to this knockdown and this will enable their separation from a pool of male individuals. For my honours thesis, I targeted four such female-biased genes - AAEL014604, AAEL014797, AAEL009313 and AAEL005884 and measured development (in days), survival and pupal size for each of these treatments for both male and female mosquitoes. None of my treatments resulted in significant results but one of these (AAEL014797) showed great promise for an improved SIT.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1993/37813
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsopen accessen_US
dc.subjectMosquitoes
dc.subjectAedes aegypti
dc.subjectsterile insect technique
dc.subjectSex-sorting
dc.titleSex-sorting Aedes aegypti for sterile insect technique (SIT) by knocking down four different gene targets, expressed in the guts of female larvae
dc.typebachelor thesisen_US
local.author.affiliationFaculty of Science::Department of Biological Sciences
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Sex-sorting Aedes aegypti for sterile insect technique (SIT) by knocking down four different gene targets, expressed in the guts of female larvae
Size:
989.32 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
693 B
Format:
Item-specific license agreed to upon submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Biological Sciences Undergraduate Works