CRISPR SPREADS IN INSECT GENES
CRISPR genes can make mutations spread in insects in nature. The new method could eliminate an entire species in a few generations.
1
A female moth has the CRISPR genes put in the middle of the Wnt1 gene of one chromosome. The other Wnt1 gene is intact.
2
When the egg cells are produced, the CRISPR genes spread to Wnt1 on the other chromosome.
3
The mutant moth mates with a wild moth, and all offspring will carry the gene change of one chromosome just like the mother.
4
The mutated Wnt1 gene and the CRISPR genes spread with every generation, as all new moths inherit the change.
5
Finally, almost all moths carry the gene change of one chromosome. When they mate with each other, their offspring will include the change of both. These larvae cannot survive, and so the species will go extinct.