Provided herein are methods, compositions and kits for preventing and treating malaria. Also included herein are kits for preventing and treating malaria.

Disclosed are an attenuation system and the use thereof for attenuating plasmodia, specifically the use of an EF1g gene for attenuating plasmodia. The attenuation system regulates the expression or degradation of the EF1g gene by using a regulatory system, thereby controlling the growth of plasmodia and achieving the attenuation of plasmodia.

The present disclosure relates to genetically modified arthropods, genetically modified bacteria, and methods for controlling and/or reducing arthropod populations.

Disclosed are a system (10) and a method used for the detection and/or monitoring of insect populations (16), in which insects (16) of at least one defined genus are attracted, at least temporarily retained within a defined compartment (12), and sensed and/or analyzed with regard to definable features (14). The invention comprises: features or method steps, as appropriate: attracting the defined genus of insects (16) within a definable spatial vicinity (20) with an attracting stimuli (22); transferring the attracted insects (16) into a defined compartment interior (12) while preventing, at least for a definable time interval, an inadvertent escape, at least of a large number of the insects (16); detecting specific features (14) of the insects (16) with a sensor unit (26); transmitting sensor signals (30) supplied by the sensor unit (26) to an electronic analysis device and/or evaluation device (28) disposed downstream from the sensor unit (26).

The invention provides for delivery, engineering and optimization of systems, methods, and compositions for manipulation of sequences and/or activities of target sequences. Provided are vectors and vector systems, some of which encode one or more components of a CRISPR complex, as well as methods for the design and use of such vectors. Also provided are methods of directing CRISPR complex formation in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to ensure enhanced specificity for target recognition and avoidance of toxicity.

The invention describes a nucleic acid system, named as 2A-transcription amplifier, for enhancing gene expression by linking a gene of interest (GOI) to a self-amplifying transcription factor with a viral 2A-like peptide. The system comprises an upstream activation sequence (UAS) at upstream promoter region and another sequence encoding a specific transcription factor (TF), a viral 2A-like peptide, and a gene of interest (GOI). The said compositions are operably linked in a way that the initially expressed TF protein binds the UAS region and promotes more TF and GOI co-expression. The viral 2A-like peptide separates the co-expressed TF and GOI protein during protein translation by the mechanism of ribosomal skidding. The system creates a transcription amplification loop that can be employed for enhancing expression of exogenous or endogenous gene of interest (GOI) in eukaryotic cells, tissues or whole organisms.

The present invention relates to a method for reducing the competitive fitness of an organism hemizygous for a transgenic locus compared to the organism homozygous for the transgenic locus comprising the steps of: (a) reducing the expression of a haploinsufficient gene in the organism, wherein said reduction is conveyed by a transgenic locus in the organism; and (b) rescuing the reduced expression in the organism, wherein said rescue is conveyed by the same transgenic locus in the organism, yielding an organism which is less competitively fit if hemizygous for the transgenic locus than if homozygous for the transgenic locus. The present invention also relates to a method for decreasing the introgression of a transgenic locus in an organism into a population of otherwise interfertile sexually reproducing organisms comprising the steps of: (a) reducing the expression of a haploinsufficient gene in the organism, wherein said reduction is conveyed by a transgenic locus in the organism; (b) rescuing the reduced expression in the organism, wherein said rescue is conveyed by the same transgenic locus in the organism, and (c) using a transgenic organism obtained in step (b) in an environment comprising otherwise interfertile sexually reproducing wildtype individuals of the organism, wherein the competitive fitness of hemizygous progeny is reduced, thereby decreasing the rate of sexually reproduction and/or viability and/or the competitive fitness of hemizygous progeny. Further envisaged are corresponding genetic systems and genetically modified organisms.

The present invention provides PiggyBac transposase proteins, nucleic acids encoding the same, compositions comprising the same, kits comprising the same, non-human transgenic animals comprising the same, and methods of using the same.

The present invention provides a novel class of insecticides for control of disease vector insects, particularly mosquitoes. These insecticides prevent maturation or development of larvae into adult insects using interfering RNA (iRNA). The present invention further includes compositions comprising iRNA and methods of controlling, reducing, or treating an insect infestation with the iRNA or compositions described herein.

A method of producing a transgenic silkworm that spins bagworm silks and producing a large quantity of bagworm silks by transgenic technology is developed and provided. A gene encoding a modified bagworm Fib H and a transgenic silkworm in which the gene is introduced, wherein the gene is obtained by cloning a gene fragment encoding a bagworm Fib H-like polypeptide comprising a partial amino acid sequence of bagworm Fib H, and fusing the gene fragment to a gene fragment encoding silkworm-derived Fib H, are provided.