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Title: PIGGYBAC TRANSFORMATION OF THE NEW WORLD SCREWWORM, COCHLIOMYIA HOMINIVORAX, PRODUCES MULTIPLE DISTINCT MUTANT STRAINS

Author
item Allen, Margaret - Meg
item Handler, Alfred - Al
item Berkebile, Dennis
item Skoda, Steven

Submitted to: Medical and Veterinary Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/26/2003
Publication Date: 3/20/2004
Citation: ALLEN, M.L., HANDLER, A.M., BERKEBILE, D.R., SKODA, S.R. PIGGYBAC TRANSFORMATION OF THE NEW WORLD SCREWWORM, COCHLIOMYIA HOMINIVORAX, PRODUCES MULTIPLE DISTINCT MUTANT STRAINS. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, 18(1), p. 1-9. 2004.

Interpretive Summary: Sterile insect technique (SIT) programs control pest species by releasing mass-reared, sterile insects into an infested area. The first implementation of SIT was the New World Screwworm Eradication Program, which successfully eliminated the New World screwworm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), from the Continental US, Mexico, and much of Central America. Ionizing radiation is currently used for sterilization, but transgenic insect techniques could replace this method, providing a safer, more cost-effective alternative. Transformation methods have been demonstrated in NWS. In addition to supporting the Eradication Program, transformation methods offer potential means to examine basic biology and genetic questions concerning NWS.

Technical Abstract: Sterile insect technique (SIT) programs are designed to eradicate pest species by releasing mass-reared, sterile insects into an infested area. The first implementation of SIT was the New World Screwworm Eradication Program, which successfully eliminated the New World screwworm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), from the Continental US, Mexico, and much of Central America. Ionizing radiation is currently used for sterilization, but transgenic insect techniques could replace this method, providing a safer, more cost-effective alternative. Genetic transformation methods have been demonstrated in NWS, and verified by Southern blot hybridization, PCR, and sequencing of element insertion junctions. A lethal insertional mutation and enhancer detection-like phenotypic expression variations are presented and discussed. In addition to supporting the eradication efforts, transformation methods offer potential means to identify genes and examine gene function in NWS.