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Researchers from Australia and the United States have shown the first example of a feasible gene drive system for controlling populations of invasive alien rodents. Invasive rodents, including house mice, are a major threat to the environment and biodiversity, particularly in island ecosystems. According to Island Conservation, invasive rodents such as mice are likely responsible for the greatest number of island bird extinctions as well as damaged ecosystems.
Existing tools such as the distribution of rodenticide can be used to control invasive rodent populations, but this method is expensive to use on a large scale and can have adverse effects such as contamination or harm to non-target species. Gene drives, a genetic approach that increases the likelihood that a modified gene will be inherited within a target species, are being explored as a new method to combat these invasive alien pests.
However, they have so far proven difficult to develop in mice. The new study, published in BioRxiv, tests a novel gene drive technique known as tCRISPR, that leverages a naturally occurring gene drive element that is frequently observed in wild mouse populations, the “t haplotype”.
Using modelling, researchers demonstrated that tCRISPR has eradication potential across a range of realistic scenarios. Although the impact of many empirical factors – such as seasonal population variation and possible DNA target site cleavage resistance – remains to be explored in detail, the study provides promising data supporting the potential use of gene drive technologies for the control of invasive mice for biodiversity conservation.
Read the full study here.
