Development of molecular approaches for Sterile Insect Technique involving RNAi in Aedes aegypti and functional validation of a wp rescue construct in Ceratitis capitata

Abstract

Aedes mosquitoes, namely Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti, are competent vectors for several arboviruses with substantial public health importance, including dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and West Nile viruses, with no effective vaccines or drugs against most of the transmitted arboviruses. The control of mosquitoes is challenging and an effective system that could be safely and efficiently used against their increasing spread is not available. In addition, resistance development against pesticides traditionally used to control Aedes mosquitoes is observed worldwide. Modern molecular techniques have enabled the development of new environmentally-friendly systems for insect control. One such approach is the use of RNA interference (RNAi) triggered by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Another alternative involves applying modern molecular techniques on a generic approach to advance the concept of neo-classical genetic sexing strains (GSS) to support insect control applications based on the sterile insect technique (SIT). This work focused on applying modern molecular techniques to develop efficient sustainable insect control systems.