[The prospects of using transgenic insects in biocontrol programs]

Methods of biocontrol are widely used for suppression of pests and human disease vectors. One of the key methods is insects sterilization (sterile insect technique--SIT), which currently is accomplished by irradiation. Radiation-exposed insects have reduced fitness so theis competitive abilities are diminished as compared to insects from wild populations. Modern bioengineering is capable of producing transgenic insects with predetermined traits, and by now the schemes for getting sterile insects without exposure to radiation are developed. Another area of modern studies is producing insects that are unable to transmit diseases malaria, for example. In the present review the implementation and perspectives are outlined for replacement of Anopheles wild populations with transgenic mosquitos. The main way for delivering the genetic material to recipient's genome is using transposon-based constructs. The markers of transgenesis are described. The potential danger for the environment of transgenic constructs remobilization and the necessity of their stabilization within the genome are emphasized. The existing methods of stabilization which involve the deletion of transposon terminal inverted repeats are described.