Gene drive-mediated population elimination for biodiversity conservation. When you come to a fork in the road, take it
Published Dec 13, 2022 · B. Hay, M. Guo
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
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Abstract
Gene drive occurs when alleles of genes, multigene cassettes, or large chromosomal regions are transmitted to fertile prog - eny at greater-than-Mendelian frequencies (50%). Gene drive can be used to bring about population suppression or elimi - nation when the rate at which the drive element increases in frequency outpaces a fitness cost induced by its presence, and the population is driven to an unfit state. Much work has focused on applications involving mosquito vectors of human disease (1). Many other applications have their origin in the global problem of invasive species (2), and thinking about how to ameliorate the many harms they are associated with: food insecurity, human disease, economic loss, environmental degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Invasive species are a major driver of species extinction (3), and island endemic populations are particularly hard-hit. While islands constitute only 6.7% of land area, they host 20% of species and 50% of threatened species and account for 75% of known extinctions since the European expansion (4). Mice and rats are a com - mon culprit (Fig. 1) The primary method for eliminating them utilizes rodenticides. This approach can succeed (5), but the economics and logistics do not scale well with island size. Toxicants can also result in off-target effects on other species, which often precludes their use on islands inhabited by humans and livestock/companion animals. Gene drive–based population suppression provides a solution that eliminates toxicant-based harms and is more humane. It is also species specific and in principle lower cost because it is self-sustaining and takes advantage of the invaders’ tendency to seek out conspecifics even in complex and remote environments. Conversely, a gene drive element must also be unable to bring about suppression in nontarget areas if some individuals manage to “jump ship.”