Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Analysis of the Genetic Variation of the Fruitless Gene within the An. gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) Complex Populations in Africa

Mahamadi Kientega
* ORCID logo ,
Nace Kranjc
ORCID logo ,
Nouhoun Traoré
,
Honorine Kaboré
,
Morianou Ioanna
,
Dieudonné Diloma Soma
,
Adrien Marie Gaston Belem
,
Moussa Namountougou
,
Abdoulaye Diabaté
*
Version 1 : Received: 14 September 2022 / Approved: 16 September 2022 / Online: 16 September 2022 (11:33:36 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Kientega, M.; Kranjc, N.; Traoré, N.; Kaboré, H.; Soma, D.D.; Morianou, I.; Namountougou, M.; Belem, A.M.G.; Diabaté, A. Analysis of the Genetic Variation of the Fruitless Gene within the Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) Complex Populations in Africa. Insects 2022, 13, 1048. Kientega, M.; Kranjc, N.; Traoré, N.; Kaboré, H.; Soma, D.D.; Morianou, I.; Namountougou, M.; Belem, A.M.G.; Diabaté, A. Analysis of the Genetic Variation of the Fruitless Gene within the Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) Complex Populations in Africa. Insects 2022, 13, 1048.

Abstract

Targeting genes involved in sexual determinism for vector or pest control purpose, requires a better understanding of their polymorphism in natural populations in order to ensure a rapid spread of the construct. By using genomic data from An. gambiae s.l., we analyzed the genetic variation and the conservation score of the fru gene in 18 natural populations across Africa. A total of 34339 SNPs were identified including 3.11% non-synonymous segregating sites. Overall, the nucleotide diversity was low and the Tajima's D neutrality test was negative indicating an excess of low frequency SNPs in the fru gene. The allelic frequencies of the non-synonymous SNPs were low (freq < 0.26) except two SNPs identified at high frequencies (freq > 0.8) in the Zinc-finger A and B protein domains. The conservation score was variable throughout the fru gene with maximum values in the exonic compared to the intronic regions. These results showed a low genetic variation in overall the exonic regions especially the male sex-specific exon and the BTB-exon 1 of the fru gene. These findings are crucial for the development of a gene drive construct targeting the fru gene that can rapidly spread without encountering resistance in wild populations.

Keywords

Fruitless; genomics; An. gambiae s.l; vector control; Africa

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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