Researcher Ratnasri Pothula works with fruit flies in the lab. Credit: Domini Brown
Background
Researchers are working towards genetic control of a major fruit pest, the spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii, SWD), by interfering with its ability to reproduce. By preventing new generations from developing, this technology has the potential to drastically reduce Minnesota’s spotted wing drosophila population.
Scientists tested the new method with a related species, the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and later adapted to SWD. The technology holds promise for field application tests (phase 2) and future expansion into other pest and insect models. Research will also produce valuable secondary information about the genetic diversity within seasonal spotted wing drosophila populations, which could help determine the starting point of invasion.
The second phase of this project focuses on the novel approach of biocontrol called “engineered genetic incompatibility” (EGI). EGI leverages the latest genetic tools to engineer species-like barriers to reproduction. Researchers continued their efforts to produce an EGI strain of SWD based on earlier successes using the related species D. melanogaster.
Questions remain about scientific and economic issues that may impact the development and success of any genetic biocontrol campaign against SWD, including the method developed by this team. In particular, it is important to understand how genetic and behavioral diversity in wild populations of SWD will impact the effectiveness of a genetic biocontrol treatment.
Project phases
Project status: Completed in 2021
Funding: $296,655
Research questions
- Can genetic engineering produce males of D. melanogaster that prevent wild-type females from reproducing?
- Can genetic engineering produce males of spotted wing drosophila that prevent wild-type females from reproducing?
- What level of genetic diversity is observed in local seasonal populations of the spotted wing drosophila?
Project status: Completed in 2022
Funding: $299,930
Research questions
- What is the robustness of biocontrol in non-laboratory, diverse environments?
- What is the mechanism of action for hybrid lethality?
Project status: In progress, started in 2022
Funding: $599,362
Research questions
- What are assortative mating behaviors in wild sub-populations of SWD?
- What is the impact of mass-rearing environments on SWD fitness and fecundity?
- Through a techno-economic analysis (TEA), what are the capital and operational costs for applications of genetic biocontrol of SWD at regional and national levels?
Practical implications
This research group will be able to identify and mitigate risks to the efficacy of genetic biocontrol in field applications to reduce the population of SWD. The new genetic technology developed will offer an approach to mass-cultivate stable, sexually incompatible insects that addresses concerns with existing Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) approaches.
This work will be an important part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy because it will complement existing control methods to directly impact SWD control in fruit production.
Published research from all phases of this project will be generally useful to the community of scientists and technologists working with SWD and related insects.
Outcomes
While the work is ongoing, this research team has demonstrated a powerful new approach to combat invasive insect pests. As a proof of concept, genetically engineered D. melanogaster male insects can successfully mate with wild females, who would not have offspring. This can reduce a wild population and it is applicable to any sexually reproducing insect. They have made progress translating what they learned from D. melanogaster to D. suzukii and made their first transgenic SWD flies.
In addition, the team invented a new approach to sequencing genomes that allowed them to sequence the relevant genes from over 10,000 wild flies. The data is being used in the engineering efforts for SWD.
Publications
- Predicting thresholds for population replacement gene drives (BMC Biology, 2024)
- HUGE pipeline to measure temporal genetic variation in Drosophila suzukii populations for genetic biocontrol applications (Frontiers in Insect Science, 2022)
- Genetically engineered insects with sex-selection and genetic incompatibility enable population suppression (eLife, 2022)
- Modeling-informed Engineered Genetic Incompatibility strategies to overcome resistance in the invasive Drosophila suzukii (Frontiers in Insect Science, 2022)
Outreach
- Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference, 2020
- MN DNR Invasive Species Working Group, 2020
- FNIH Global GeneConvene Virtual Institute, 2020
- Seminar for the UMN Department of Entomology, 2021
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources update meeting, 2021
- Engineering Biology Research Consortium annual meeting, 2022
- Gordon Research Conference on Genetic Biocontrol, 2022
- Stakeholder workshop on genetic biocontrol of aquatic invasive species at UMN, 2022
- STEM presentation to 5 elementary classrooms in Falcon Heights, MN and Cloquet, MN, 2023
- National Science Foundation, Established Program to Simulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), 2024
- Departmental seminar at Kansas State University, 2024
- Entomological Society of America, 2024
- International Congress of Entomology, 2024
- Genome Writer’s Guild, 2024
- International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species, 2024
- Entomological Society of America - North Central Branch, 2024
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, 2024
News and media
- Unlocking new routes to pest control: How bioengineered flies could transform agriculture (MITPPC, 2024)
- ‘A plague to be reckoned with’: UMN research creates a buzz with invasive fruit fly research (The Minnesota Daily, 2020)
- Research reveals high cost of invasive species for Minnesota-grown raspberries (MITPPC)
- Synthetic species made to shun sex with wild organisms (Nature News, 2018)
- Scientists are engineering GMO species to self-destruct after breeding in the wild (ScienceAlert, 2018)
- GMO Safety Factor Prevents Fruitful Interbreeding in the Wild (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, 2017)
- New way to prevent genetically engineered and unaltered organisms from producing offspring (EurekAlert!, 2017)