The development and use of genetic sexing strains(GSS)has played a catalytic role in enhancing the efficiency, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the sterile insect technique(SIT)for the population suppression of insect pest species of agricultural importance. The best examples are the large-scale operational SIT programmes against the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, in which over 2 billion sterile males of the VIENNA 7 and VIENNA 8 strains are being produced weekly in mass-rearing facilities worldwide. The VIENNA 8 strain carry two key selectable markers, the white pupae(wp)and the temperature sensitive lethal(tsl)genes. Females are homozygous for the mutant alleles of these genes, being white pupae and sensitive when exposed as one-day old embryos at elevated temperatures(34-35 ℃)(lethal). Males are heterozygous for both markers, being brown pupae and resistant when exposed as one-day old embryos to the same elevated temperatures(survive).
展开▼
