The deadly gene
In the USA, a genetically modified butterfly was released into nature
In the USA, the first genetically modified male cabbage moth butterflies were released into nature, writes the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (Shelton et al., First Field Release of a Genetically Engineered, Self-Limiting Agricultural Pest Insect: Evaluating Its Potential for Future Crop Protection).
Cabbage moth (Plutella xylostella) is one of the main pests of agricultural crops in the world. The larvae feed on the leaves of cauliflower and white cabbage, broccoli and rapeseed. The insect adapts surprisingly quickly to all new types of pesticides. The annual damage caused by the cabbage moth is estimated at five billion dollars a year.
Population decline
Thanks to the biotechnological development of American and British scientists led by Anthony Shelton, the number of agricultural pests will decrease.
Experts have added two new genes to the natural moth. One of them turns on only in the offspring of genetically modified (GM) males, leading to the death of all newborn females. Moreover, such a gene is transmitted through the male line, and all males born from GM insects will also not be able to have female offspring.
Another gene encoding a red fluorescent protein was needed only to identify GM moths in nature.
The model developed by scientists is controllable and self-limiting. Since the offspring of the cabbage moth has a high mortality rate – up to 50 percent of each new generation dies – according to scientists, the lethal gene will disappear in a few generations if new GM males are not released each time.
How did the tests go
During field trials in New York State in August and September 2017, researchers released GM moths into nature six times, from 1,000 to 2,500 individuals each time. According to the observations of scientists, GM males survived in the wild in the first season and successfully competed with wild males for mating with females.
As expected, within several generations, GM insects on the territory completely disappeared. To control the release of an artificial strain from the local ecosystem, the researchers used the mark – release – recapture ("marked – released – caught") technique, when labeled moths attracted by special pheromones gathered in traps.
Neil Morrison, head of the British Oxitec Research Center in the field of agriculture and one of the authors of the study, noted that the study showed the huge potential of such technology as a pest control tool.
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