Mobility of the piggyBac transposon in embryos of the vectors of Dengue fever (Aedes albopictus) and La Crosse encephalitis (Ae. triseriatus)

The re-emergence of arboviral diseases such as Dengue Fever and La Crosse e ncephalitis is primarily due to the failure of insect vector control strate gies. The development of a procedure capable of producing stable germ-line transformants in the insect vectors of these diseases would bridge the gap between gene expression systems being developed to curb vector transmission and the identification of important genes and regulatory sequences and the ir reintroduction back into the insect genome in the form of vector control strategies. The transposable element piggyBac is capable of transposition in a variety of insect species. and could serve as a versatile insect trans formation vector. Using plasmid-based excision and transposition assays, we report that this short-ITR transposon undergoes precise, transposase-depen dent excision and transposition in embryos of Aedes albopictus and Aedes tr iseriatus, the vectors of Dengue fever and LaCrosse encephalitis, respectiv ely. These assays allow us easily and rapidly to confirm and assess the pot ential utility of piggyBac as a gene transfer tool in a given species, pigg yBac is an exceptionally mobile and versatile genetic transformation vector , comparable to other transposons currently in use for the transformation o f insects. The mobility of the piggyBac element seen in both Ae. albopictus and AE. triseriatus is further evidence that it can be employed as a germ- line vector in important insect disease vectors.