Kistler, K.E. et al. Cell Rep. 11, 51–60 (2015).

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector for pathogens that cause the potentially fatal illnesses chikungunya and yellow fever. Unlike the genomes of model organisms, the A. aegypti genome is incompletely mapped, making it challenging to engineer. Kistler et al. explore the use of clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) in the mosquito, with the ultimate goal of deciphering the genetic bases for chemosensory behavior in the insects—how female mosquitoes use odor cues to locate a host. The researchers injected embryos with Cas9 and guide RNA and observed deletions as well as insertions of a reporter construct via homology-directed repair. The mutations, which were transmitted to the germ line, offer a strategy for controlling vector populations.