Genome Editing in Insects: CRISPR Technology and its Prospects

Abstract

Insects, as one of the largest animal groups, play a crucial role due to their vast diversity, economic significance in agriculture and cottage industries, and their ecological functions as pollinators and vectors of various diseases. Significant advancements in genetics have provided extensive information on gene identity and sequences for many insect species. These genetic resources have facilitated genome editing studies aimed at developing improved genetic traits. One such strategy is the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which has been effectively employed against the screwworm in North America and continues to be used for managing insect pests. Gene silencing via RNA interference (RNAi), a fundamental genomic tool in model insect research, has also been applied in various biological studies. However, its variable efficiency among insect pests has limited its widespread use. Other gene-editing approaches include the induction of Double-Strand Breaks (DSBs) in DNA using Zinc-Finger Nucleases (ZFNs) and Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs), which stimulate non-homologous end joining or homology-directed repair at targeted sequences. More recently, the CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9) system has rapidly emerged as a transformative genome-editing approach across multiple fields, including agriculture, insect resistance management, environmental safety, human health, and industry. This article provides an overview of various genome-editing techniques employed in insects, with a specific focus on the application and future potential of the cutting-edge CRISPR/Cas system, which holds promise in surpassing other genome-editing approaches.