The molecular basis of sex determination and differentiation in mosquitoes

蚊子是世界上最严重的疾病媒介，疟疾和登革热等疾病每年导致数百万人死亡或致残。在加拿大，最近由蚊子传播的西尼罗河病毒对我国人口构成的威胁尚未确定，但如果没有适当的控制措施，它可能成为卫生和旅游部门的一个更严重的问题。除了它们的疾病传播潜力，蚊子是严重的滋扰昆虫，加拿大每年花费数千万美元来控制这些害虫。随着杀虫剂抗药性发生率的增加以及人们对这些化学品对包括人类在内的非目标物种的不利影响的日益关注，我们迫切需要找到新的，最好是针对害虫的控制方法。在这项研究中，我们正在研究蚊子的性别分化过程，目的是找到防止蚊子繁殖的新方法。利用分子遗传学技术，我们打算确定参与决定蚊子性别的基因和参与男性生育力的基因。利用基因沉默技术，我们将尝试开发不育的，全雄性实验室繁殖的蚊子种群，可用于遗传控制计划，以减少遗传绝育计划中的害虫蚊子种群，而不使用广谱杀虫剂。如果遗传控制策略不被证明是有效的，我们对蚊子繁殖相关基因的筛选仍然可以为新的蚊子特异性杀虫剂提供新的靶标。我们对蚊子生育力相关基因的鉴定也可能对其他研究人类生育力问题的研究小组产生相当大的兴趣，因为我们无疑会发现一些基因在许多物种中是保守的。

Mosquitoes are the world's most serious disease vectors, with diseases like malaria and dengue killing or causing debilitating illness in millions of people every year. In Canada, the recent mosquito-borne incursion of West Nile Virus poses an as yet undetermined threat to our population, but without appropriate control measures, it could become a more serious problem for both the health and tourism sectors. Aside from their disease transmission potential, mosquitoes are serious nuisance insects and tens of millions of dollars are spent each year in Canada to control these pests. With increasing incidences of insecticide resistance and growing concerns about the adverse affects of these chemicals on non-target species, including humans, we desperately need to find new, preferably pest-specific control methods. In this study, we are examining the processes of sex differentiation in mosquitoes, with the aim of finding new ways to prevent mosquitoes from reproducing. Using molecular genetic techniques, we intend to identify the genes involved in determining the sex of mosquitoes and genes involved in male fertility. Using gene-silencing technologies, we will attempt to develop sterile, all-male lab-bred populations of mosquitoes, which can be used in genetic control programs to reduce pest mosquito populations in genetic sterilization programs, without the use of broad-spectrum pesticides. If genetic control strategies do not prove effective, our screen of genes involved in mosquito reproduction could still provide new targets for new mosquito-specific pesticides. Our identification of genes involved in mosquito fertility may also prove of considerable interest to other research groups examining issues of human fertility, as we will undoubtedly find that some genes are conserved across many species.