摘要：Aedes (Ae.) aegypti is the primary vector for dengue viruses (serotypes1–4) and chikungunya virus. Homing endonucleases (HEs) are ancient selfish elements that catalyze double-stranded DNA breaks (DSB) in a highly specific manner. In this report, we show that the HEs Y2-I- Ani I, I- Cre I and I- Sce I are all capable of catalyzing the excision of genomic segments from the Ae. aegypti genome in a heritable manner. Y2-I- Ani I demonstrated the highest efficiency at two independent genomic targets, with 20–40% of Y2-I- Ani I-treated individuals producing offspring that had lost the target transgene. HE-induced DSBs were found to be repaired via the single-strand annealing (SSA) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathways in a manner dependent on the availability of direct repeat sequences in the transgene. These results support the development of HE-based gene editing and gene drive strategies in Ae. aegypti , and confirm the utility of HEs in the manipulation and modification of transgenes in this important vector.
