Development of a pan-neuronal genetic driver in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

• Main Authors: Zhilei Zhao, David Tian, Carolyn S. McBride
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-07-01
• Series: Cell Reports: Methods
• Subjects: Aedes aegypti; mosquito; genetic tools; pan-neuronal; expression driver; neurobiology
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667237521000874

Summary: The recent development of neurogenetic tools in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is beginning to shed light on the neural basis of behaviors that make this species a major vector of human disease. However, we still lack a pan-neuronal expression driver—a key tool that provides genetic access to all neurons. Here, we describe our efforts to fill this gap via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in of reporters to broadly expressed neural genes and report on the generation of two strains, a Syt1:GCaMP6s strain that expresses synaptically localized GCaMP and a brp-T2A-QF2w driver strain that can be used to drive and amplify expression of any effector via the Q binary system. Both manipulations broadly and uniformly label the nervous system with only modest effects on behavior. We expect these strains to facilitate neurobiological research in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes and document both successful and failed manipulations as a roadmap for similar tool development in other non-model species. Motivation: The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary worldwide vector of arboviruses that infect humans, including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Recent advances in transgenic technology have yielded important new insight into the biology of this disease vector. The early development of neurogenetic tools, in particular, is beginning to shed light on the neural basis of behaviors that allow Ae. aegypti to thrive in human environments and find and bite human hosts. Despite these advances, a pan-neuronal expression driver remains elusive. Pan-neuronal drivers give researchers genetic access to all neurons and thus provide a critical entry point for circuit dissection. They are a fundamental part of any neurogenetic toolkit.