An adenine base editor with expanded targeting scope using SpCas9-NGv1 in rice

Advances in cis-element- and natural variation-mediated transcriptional regulation and applications in gene editing of major crops

Transcriptional regulation is crucial to control of gene expression. Both spatio-temporal expression patterns and expression levels of genes are determined by the interaction between cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors. Numerous studies have focused on the trans-acting factors that mediate transcriptional regulatory networks. However, cis-acting elements, such as enhancers, silencers, transposons, and natural variations in the genome, are also vital for gene expression regulation and could be utilized by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-mediated gene editing to improve crop quality and yield. In this review, we discuss current understanding of cis-element-mediated transcriptional regulation in major crops, including rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and maize (Zea mays), as well as the latest advancements in gene editing techniques and their applications in crops to highlight prospective strategies for crop breeding.

PAM-flexible Cas9-mediated base editing of a hemophilia B mutation in induced pluripotent stem cells

BACKGROUND

Base editing via CRISPR-Cas9 has garnered attention as a method for correcting disease-specific mutations without causing double-strand breaks, thereby avoiding large deletions and translocations in the host chromosome. However, its reliance on the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) can limit its use. We aimed to restore a disease mutation in a patient with severe hemophilia B using base editing with SpCas9-NG, a modified Cas9 with the board PAM flexibility.

METHODS

We generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a patient with hemophilia B (c.947T>C; I316T) and established HEK293 cells and knock-in mice expressing the patient's F9 cDNA. We transduced the cytidine base editor (C>T), including the nickase version of Cas9 (wild-type SpCas9 or SpCas9-NG), into the HEK293 cells and knock-in mice through plasmid transfection and an adeno-associated virus vector, respectively.

RESULTS

Here we demonstrate the broad PAM flexibility of SpCas9-NG near the mutation site. The base-editing approach using SpCas9-NG but not wild-type SpCas9 successfully converts C to T at the mutation in the iPSCs. Gene-corrected iPSCs differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro and express substantial levels of F9 mRNA after subrenal capsule transplantation into immunodeficient mice. Additionally, SpCas9-NG-mediated base editing corrects the mutation in both HEK293 cells and knock-in mice, thereby restoring the production of the coagulation factor.

CONCLUSION

A base-editing approach utilizing the broad PAM flexibility of SpCas9-NG can provide a solution for the treatment of genetic diseases, including hemophilia B.

Strategies and Methods for Improving the Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing in Plant Molecular Breeding

Following recent developments and refinement, CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology has become increasingly mature and is being widely used for crop improvement. The application of CRISPR/Cas9 enables the generation of transgene-free genome-edited plants in a short period and has the advantages of simplicity, high efficiency, high specificity, and low production costs, which greatly facilitate the study of gene functions. In plant molecular breeding, the gene-editing efficiency of the CRISPR-Cas9 system has proven to be a key step in influencing the effectiveness of molecular breeding, with improvements in gene-editing efficiency recently becoming a focus of reported scientific research. This review details strategies and methods for improving the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in plant molecular breeding, including Cas9 variant enzyme engineering, the effect of multiple promoter driven Cas9, and gRNA efficient optimization and expression strategies. It also briefly introduces the optimization strategies of the CRISPR/Cas12a system and the application of BE and PE precision editing. These strategies are beneficial for the further development and optimization of gene editing systems in the field of plant molecular breeding.

Enhancing the quality of staple food crops through CRISPR/Cas-mediated site-directed mutagenesis

The enhancement of CRISPR-Cas gene editing with robust nuclease activity promotes genetic modification of desirable agronomic traits, such as resistance to pathogens, drought tolerance, nutritional value, and yield-related traits in crops. The genetic diversity of food crops has reduced tremendously over the past twelve millennia due to plant domestication. This reduction presents significant challenges for the future especially considering the risks posed by global climate change to food production. While crops with improved phenotypes have been generated through crossbreeding, mutation breeding, and transgenic breeding over the years, improving phenotypic traits through precise genetic diversification has been challenging. The challenges are broadly associated with the randomness of genetic recombination and conventional mutagenesis. This review highlights how emerging gene-editing technologies reduce the burden and time necessary for developing desired traits in plants. Our focus is to provide readers with an overview of the advances in CRISPR-Cas-based genome editing for crop improvement. The use of CRISPR-Cas systems in generating genetic diversity to enhance the quality and nutritional value of staple food crops is discussed. We also outlined recent applications of CRISPR-Cas in developing pest-resistant crops and removing unwanted traits, such as allergenicity from crops. Genome editing tools continue to evolve and present unprecedented opportunities to enhance crop germplasm via precise mutations at the desired loci of the plant genome.

Applications and Prospects of CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Base Editing in Plant Breeding

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/associated protein 9 system (Cas9) has been used at length to optimize multiple aspects of germplasm resources. However, large-scale genomic research has indicated that novel variations in crop plants are attributed to single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Therefore, substituting single bases into a plant genome may produce desirable traits. Gene editing by CRISPR/Cas9 techniques frequently results in insertions-deletions (indels). Base editing allows precise single-nucleotide changes in the genome in the absence of double-strand breaks (DSBs) and donor repair templates (DRTs). Therefore, BEs have provided a new way of thinking about genome editing, and base editing techniques are currently being utilized to edit the genomes of many different organisms. As traditional breeding techniques and modern molecular breeding technologies complement each other, various genome editing technologies have emerged. How to realize the greater potential of BE applications is the question we need to consider. Here, we explain various base editings such as CBEs, ABEs, and CGBEs. In addition, the latest applications of base editing technologies in agriculture are summarized, including crop yield, quality, disease, and herbicide resistance. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of base editing technologies are presented. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the application of BE in crop breeding to further improve BE and make the most of its value.

CRISPR/Cas Genome Editing Technologies for Plant Improvement against Biotic and Abiotic Stresses: Advances, Limitations, and Future Perspectives

Crossbreeding, mutation breeding, and traditional transgenic breeding take much time to improve desirable characters/traits. CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing (GE) is a game-changing tool that can create variation in desired traits, such as biotic and abiotic resistance, increase quality and yield in less time with easy applications, high efficiency, and low cost in producing the targeted edits for rapid improvement of crop plants. Plant pathogens and the severe environment cause considerable crop losses worldwide. GE approaches have emerged and opened new doors for breeding multiple-resistance crop varieties. Here, we have summarized recent advances in CRISPR/Cas-mediated GE for resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses in a crop molecular breeding program that includes the modification and improvement of genes response to biotic stresses induced by fungus, virus, and bacterial pathogens. We also discussed in depth the application of CRISPR/Cas for abiotic stresses (herbicide, drought, heat, and cold) in plants. In addition, we discussed the limitations and future challenges faced by breeders using GE tools for crop improvement and suggested directions for future improvements in GE for agricultural applications, providing novel ideas to create super cultivars with broad resistance to biotic and abiotic stress.

Genome-wide analyses of PAM-relaxed Cas9 genome editors reveal substantial off-target effects by ABE8e in rice

PAM-relaxed Cas9 nucleases, cytosine base editors and adenine base editors are promising tools for precise genome editing in plants. However, their genome-wide off-target effects are largely unexplored. Here, we conduct whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analyses of transgenic plants edited by xCas9, Cas9-NGv1, Cas9-NG, SpRY, nCas9-NG-PmCDA1, nSpRY-PmCDA1 and nSpRY-ABE8e in rice. Our results reveal that Cas9 nuclease and base editors, when coupled with the same guide RNA (gRNA), prefer distinct gRNA-dependent off-target sites. De novo generated gRNAs by SpRY editors lead to additional, but insubstantial, off-target mutations. Strikingly, ABE8e results in ~500 genome-wide A-to-G off-target mutations at TA motif sites per transgenic plant. ABE8e's preference for the TA motif is also observed at the target sites. Finally, we investigate the timeline and mechanism of somaclonal variation due to tissue culture, which chiefly contributes to the background mutations. This study provides a comprehensive understanding on the scale and mechanisms of off-target and background mutations occurring during PAM-relaxed genome editing in plants.

CRISPR/Cas- and Topical RNAi-Based Technologies for Crop Management and Improvement: Reviewing the Risk Assessment and Challenges Towards a More Sustainable Agriculture

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated gene (Cas) system and RNA interference (RNAi)-based non-transgenic approaches are powerful technologies capable of revolutionizing plant research and breeding. In recent years, the use of these modern technologies has been explored in various sectors of agriculture, introducing or improving important agronomic traits in plant crops, such as increased yield, nutritional quality, abiotic- and, mostly, biotic-stress resistance. However, the limitations of each technique, public perception, and regulatory aspects are hindering its wide adoption for the development of new crop varieties or products. In an attempt to reverse these mishaps, scientists have been researching alternatives to increase the specificity, uptake, and stability of the CRISPR and RNAi system components in the target organism, as well as to reduce the chance of toxicity in nontarget organisms to minimize environmental risk, health problems, and regulatory issues. In this review, we discuss several aspects related to risk assessment, toxicity, and advances in the use of CRISPR/Cas and topical RNAi-based technologies in crop management and breeding. The present study also highlights the advantages and possible drawbacks of each technology, provides a brief overview of how to circumvent the off-target occurrence, the strategies to increase on-target specificity, the harm/benefits of association with nanotechnology, the public perception of the available techniques, worldwide regulatory frameworks regarding topical RNAi and CRISPR technologies, and, lastly, presents successful case studies of biotechnological solutions derived from both technologies, raising potential challenges to reach the market and being social and environmentally safe.

Potential of Genome Editing to Capture Diversity From Australian Wild Rice Relatives

Rice, a staple food worldwide and a model crop, could benefit from the introduction of novel genetics from wild relatives. Wild rice in the AA genome group closely related to domesticated rice is found across the tropical world. Due to their locality outside the range of domesticated rice, Australian wild rice populations are a potential source of unique traits for rice breeding. These rice species provide a diverse gene pool for improvement that could be utilized for desirable traits such as stress resistance, disease tolerance, and nutritional qualities. However, they remain poorly characterized. The CRISPR/Cas system has revolutionized gene editing and has improved our understanding of gene functions. Coupled with the increasing availability of genomic information on the species, genes in Australian wild rice could be modified through genome editing technologies to produce new domesticates. Alternatively, beneficial alleles from these rice species could be incorporated into cultivated rice to improve critical traits. Here, we summarize the beneficial traits in Australian wild rice, the available genomic information and the potential of gene editing to discover and understand the functions of novel alleles. Moreover, we discuss the potential domestication of these wild rice species for health and economic benefits to rice production globally.

Genome Editing Technology and Its Application to Metabolic Engineering in Rice

Genome editing technology can be used for gene engineering in many organisms. A target metabolite can be fortified by the knockout and modification of target genes encoding enzymes involved in catabolic and biosynthesis pathways, respectively, via genome editing technology. Genome editing is also applied to genes encoding proteins other than enzymes, such as chaperones and transporters. There are many reports of such metabolic engineering using genome editing technology in rice. Genome editing is used not only for site-directed mutagenesis such as the substitution of a single base in a target gene but also for random mutagenesis at a targeted region. The latter enables the creation of novel genetic alleles in a target gene. Recently, genome editing technology has been applied to random mutagenesis in a targeted gene and its promoter region in rice, enabling the screening of plants with a desirable trait from these mutants. Moreover, the expression level of a target gene can be artificially regulated by a combination of genome editing tools such as catalytically inactivated Cas protein with transcription activator or repressor. This approach could be useful for metabolic engineering, although expression cassettes for inactivated Cas fused to a transcriptional activator or repressor should be stably transformed into the rice genome. Thus, the rapid development of genome editing technology has been expanding the scope of molecular breeding including metabolic engineering. In this paper, we review the current status of genome editing technology and its application to metabolic engineering in rice.

Improvement of base editors and prime editors advances precision genome engineering in plants

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein (Cas)-mediated gene disruption has revolutionized biomedical research as well as plant and animal breeding. However, most disease-causing mutations and agronomically important genetic variations are single base polymorphisms (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) that require precision genome editing tools for correction of the sequences. Although homology-directed repair of double-stranded breaks (DSBs) can introduce precise changes, such repairs are inefficient in differentiated animal and plant cells. Base editing and prime editing are two recently developed genome engineering approaches that can efficiently introduce precise edits into target sites without requirement of DSB formation or donor DNA templates. They have been applied in several plant species with promising results. Here, we review the extensive literature on improving the efficiency, target scope, and specificity of base editors and prime editors in plants. We also highlight recent progress on base editing in plant organellar genomes and discuss how these precision genome editing tools are advancing basic plant research and crop breeding.

Construct design for CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing in plants

CRISPR construct design is a key step in the practice of genome editing, which includes identification of appropriate Cas proteins, design and selection of guide RNAs (gRNAs), and selection of regulatory elements to express gRNAs and Cas proteins. Here, we review the choices of CRISPR-based genome editors suited for different needs in plant genome editing applications. We consider the technical aspects of gRNA design and the associated computational tools. We also discuss strategies for the design of multiplex CRISPR constructs for high-throughput manipulation of complex biological processes or polygenic traits. We provide recommendations for different elements of CRISPR constructs and discuss the remaining challenges of CRISPR construct optimization in plant genome editing.

Precise plant genome editing using base editors and prime editors

The development of CRISPR-Cas systems has sparked a genome editing revolution in plant genetics and breeding. These sequence-specific RNA-guided nucleases can induce DNA double-stranded breaks, resulting in mutations by imprecise non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair or precise DNA sequence replacement by homology-directed repair (HDR). However, HDR is highly inefficient in many plant species, which has greatly limited precise genome editing in plants. To fill the vital gap in precision editing, base editing and prime editing technologies have recently been developed and demonstrated in numerous plant species. These technologies, which are mainly based on Cas9 nickases, can introduce precise changes into the target genome at a single-base resolution. This Review provides a timely overview of the current status of base editors and prime editors in plants, covering both technological developments and biological applications.

Novel CRISPR/Cas applications in plants: from prime editing to chromosome engineering

In the last years, tremendous progress has been made in the development of CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing tools. A number of natural CRISPR/Cas nuclease variants have been characterized. Engineered Cas proteins have been developed to minimize PAM restrictions, off-side effects and temperature sensitivity. Both kinds of enzymes have, by now, been applied widely and efficiently in many plant species to generate either single or multiple mutations at the desired loci by multiplexing. In addition to DSB-induced mutagenesis, specifically designed CRISPR/Cas systems allow more precise gene editing, resulting not only in random mutations but also in predefined changes. Applications in plants include gene targeting by homologous recombination, base editing and, more recently, prime editing. We will evaluate these different technologies for their prospects and practical applicability in plants. In addition, we will discuss a novel application of the Cas9 nuclease in plants, enabling the induction of heritable chromosomal rearrangements, such as inversions and translocations. This technique will make it possible to change genetic linkages in a programmed way and add another level of genome engineering to the toolbox of plant breeding. Also, strategies for tissue culture free genome editing were developed, which might be helpful to overcome the transformation bottlenecks in many crops. All in all, the recent advances of CRISPR/Cas technology will help agriculture to address the challenges of the twenty-first century related to global warming, pollution and the resulting food shortage.

Base Editing in Plants: Applications, Challenges, and Future Prospects

The ability to create targeted modifications in the genomes of plants using genome editing technologies has revolutionized research in crop improvement in the current dispensation of molecular biology. This technology has attracted global attention and has been employed in functional analysis studies in crop plants. Since many important agronomic traits are confirmed to be determined by single-nucleotide polymorphisms, improved crop varieties could be developed by the programmed and precise conversion of targeted single bases in the genomes of plants. One novel genome editing approach which serves for this purpose is base editing. Base editing directly makes targeted and irreversible base conversion without creating double-strand breaks (DSBs). This technology has recently gained quick acceptance and adaptation because of its precision, simplicity, and multiplex capabilities. This review focuses on generating different base-editing technologies and how efficient they are in editing nucleic acids. Emphasis is placed on the exploration and applications of these base-editing technologies to enhance crop production. The review also highlights the drawbacks and the prospects of this new technology.

A piggyBac-mediated transgenesis system for the temporary expression of CRISPR/Cas9 in rice

Targeted mutagenesis via CRISPR/Cas9 is now widely used, not only in model plants but also in agriculturally important crops. However, in vegetative crop propagation, CRISPR/Cas9 expression cassettes cannot be segregated out in the resulting progenies, but must nevertheless be eliminated without leaving unnecessary sequences in the genome. To this end, we designed a piggyBac-mediated transgenesis system for the temporary expression of CRISPR/Cas9 in plants. This system allows integration into the host genome of piggyBac carrying both CRISPR/Cas9 and positive selection marker expression cassettes from an extrachromosomal double-stranded transfer DNA (dsT-DNA), with subsequent excision of the transgenes by the re-transposition of piggyBac from the host genome after successful induction of targeted mutagenesis via CRISPR/Cas9. Here, we demonstrate that the transgenesis system via piggyBac transposition from T-DNA works to deliver transgenes in rice. Following positive-negative selection to exclude transgenic cells randomly transformed with T-DNA, piggyBac-mediated transgenesis from the extrachromosomal dsT-DNA was successful in ca. 1% of transgenic callus lines. After temporary expression of CRISPR/Cas9 within piggyBac, we confirmed, in a proof-of-concept experiment, that piggyBac could be excised precisely from the genome via the stably transformed transposase PBase. Even after excision of piggyBac, CRISPR/Cas9-induced targeted mutations could be detected in the endogenous gene in regenerated rice plants. These results suggest that our piggyBac-mediated transgenesis system will be a valuable tool in establishing efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis in vegetatively propagated crops.

Plant genome editing: ever more precise and wide reaching

Genome-editing technologies consisting of targeted mutagenesis and gene targeting enable us to modify genes of interest rapidly and precisely. The discovery in 2012 of CRISPR/Cas9 systems and their development as sequence-specific nucleases has brought about a paradigm shift in biology. Initially, CRISPR/Cas9 was applied in targeted mutagenesis to knock out a target gene. Thereafter, advances in genome-editing technologies using CRISPR/Cas9 developed rapidly, with base editing systems for transition substitution using a combination of Cas9 nickase and either cytidine or adenosine deaminase being reported in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and later in 2021 bringing reports of transversion substitution using Cas9 nickase, cytidine deaminase and uracil DNA glycosylase. Moreover, technologies for gene targeting and prime editing systems using DNA or RNA as donors have also been developed in recent years. Besides these precise genome-editing strategies, reports of successful chromosome engineering using CRISPR/Cas9 have been published recently. The application of genome editing to crop breeding has advanced in parallel with the development of these technologies. Genome-editing enzymes can be introduced into plant cells, and there are now many examples of crop breeding using genome-editing technologies. At present, it is no exaggeration to say that we are now in a position to be able to modify a gene precisely and rearrange genomes and chromosomes in a predicted way. In this review, we introduce and discuss recent highlights in the field of precise gene editing, chromosome engineering and genome engineering technology in plants.

ABE8e with Polycistronic tRNA-gRNA Expression Cassette Sig-Nificantly Improves Adenine Base Editing Efficiency in Nicotiana benthamiana

Adenine base editor containing TadA8e (ABE8e) has been reported in rice. However, the application of ABE8e in other plant species has not been described, and the comparison between ABE8e and ABE7.10, which is widely used in plants, has also been poorly studied. Here, we developed the ABE8e with the polycistronic tRNA-gRNA expression cassette (PTG-ABE8e) and PTG-ABE7.10 and compared their A-to-G editing efficiencies using both transient and stable transformation in the allotetraploid Nicotiana benthamiana. We found that the editing efficiency of PTG-ABE8e was significantly higher than that of PTG-ABE7.10, indicating that ABE8e was more efficient for A-to-G conversion in N. benthamiana. We further optimized the ABE8e editing efficiency by changing the sgRNA expression cassette and demonstrated that both PTG and single transcript unit (STU) enhanced ABE8e efficiency for A-to-G conversion in N. benthamiana. We also estimated the potential off-target effect of PTG-ABE8e at potential off-targeting sites predicted using an online tool in transgenic plants, and no off-target editing event was found for potential off-targeting sites selected, indicating that ABE8e could specifically facilitate A-to-G conversion. Our results showed that ABE8e with PTG structure was more suitable for A-to-G conversion in N. benthamiana and provided valuable clues for optimizing ABE tools in other plants.

Evolution and Application of Genome Editing Techniques for Achieving Food and Nutritional Security

A world with zero hunger is possible only through a sustainable increase in food production and distribution and the elimination of poverty. Scientific, logistical, and humanitarian approaches must be employed simultaneously to ensure food security, starting with farmers and breeders and extending to policy makers and governments. The current agricultural production system is facing the challenge of sustainably increasing grain quality and yield and enhancing resistance to biotic and abiotic stress under the intensifying pressure of climate change. Under present circumstances, conventional breeding techniques are not sufficient. Innovation in plant breeding is critical in managing agricultural challenges and achieving sustainable crop production. Novel plant breeding techniques, involving a series of developments from genome editing techniques to speed breeding and the integration of omics technology, offer relevant, versatile, cost-effective, and less time-consuming ways of achieving precision in plant breeding. Opportunities to edit agriculturally significant genes now exist as a result of new genome editing techniques. These range from random (physical and chemical mutagens) to non-random meganucleases (MegaN), zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/associated protein system 9 (CRISPR/Cas9), the CRISPR system from Prevotella and Francisella1 (Cpf1), base editing (BE), and prime editing (PE). Genome editing techniques that promote crop improvement through hybrid seed production, induced apomixis, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress are prioritized when selecting for genetic gain in a restricted timeframe. The novel CRISPR-associated protein system 9 variants, namely BE and PE, can generate transgene-free plants with more frequency and are therefore being used for knocking out of genes of interest. We provide a comprehensive review of the evolution of genome editing technologies, especially the application of the third-generation genome editing technologies to achieve various plant breeding objectives within the regulatory regimes adopted by various countries. Future development and the optimization of forward and reverse genetics to achieve food security are evaluated.

Base editing in rice: current progress, advances, limitations, and future perspectives

Base editing is one of the promising genome editing tools for generating single-nucleotide changes in rice genome. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important staple food crop, feeding half of the population around the globe. Developing new rice varieties with desirable agronomic traits is necessary for sustaining global food security. The use of genome editing technologies for developing rice varieties is pre-requisite in the present scenario. Among the genome editing technologies developed for rice crop improvement, base editing technology has emerged as an efficient and reliable tool for precise genome editing in rice plants. Base editing technology utilizes either adenosine or cytidine base editor for precise editing at the target region. A base editor (adenosine or cytidine) is a fusion of catalytically inactive CRISPR/Cas9 domain and adenosine or cytidine deaminase domain. In this review, authors have discussed the different adenine and cytosine base editors developed so far for precise genome editing of rice via base editing technology. We address the current progress, advances, limitations, as well as future perspectives of the base editing technology for rice crop improvement.

Progression and application of CRISPR-Cas genomic editors

Base editing technology is an efficient tool for genome editing, particularly in the correction of base mutations. Diverse base editing systems were developed according to the dCas9 or nCas9 linked with different deaminase or reverse transcriptase in the editors, including ABEs, CBEs, PEs and dual-functional of base editor (such as CGBE1, A&C-BEmax, ACBE, etc.). Currently, Base editing technology has been widely applied to various fields such as microorganisms, plants, animals and medicine for basic research and therapeutics. Here, we reviewed the advancement of base editing technology. We also discussed the application of base editors in different areas in the future.

Expanding plant genome-editing scope by an engineered iSpyMacCas9 system that targets A-rich PAM sequences

The most popular CRISPR-SpCas9 system recognizes canonical NGG protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs). Previously engineered SpCas9 variants, such as Cas9-NG, favor G-rich PAMs in genome editing. In this manuscript, we describe a new plant genome-editing system based on a hybrid iSpyMacCas9 platform that allows for targeted mutagenesis, C to T base editing, and A to G base editing at A-rich PAMs. This study fills a major technology gap in the CRISPR-Cas9 system for editing NAAR PAMs in plants, which greatly expands the targeting scope of CRISPR-Cas9. Finally, our vector systems are fully compatible with Gateway cloning and will work with all existing single-guide RNA expression systems, facilitating easy adoption of the systems by others. We anticipate that more tools, such as prime editing, homology-directed repair, CRISPR interference, and CRISPR activation, will be further developed based on our promising iSpyMacCas9 platform.

Molecular correction of Duchenne muscular dystrophy by splice modulation and gene editing

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a currently incurable X-linked neuromuscular disorder, characterized by progressive muscle wasting and premature death, typically as a consequence of cardiac failure. DMD-causing mutations in the dystrophin gene are highly diverse, meaning that the development of a universally-applicable therapy to treat all patients is very challenging. The leading therapeutic strategy for DMD is antisense oligonucleotide-mediated splice modulation, whereby one or more specific exons are excluded from the mature dystrophin mRNA in order to correct the translation reading frame. Indeed, three exon skipping oligonucleotides have received FDA approval for use in DMD patients. Second-generation exon skipping drugs (i.e. peptide-antisense oligonucleotide conjugates) exhibit enhanced potency, and also induce dystrophin restoration in the heart. Similarly, multiple additional antisense oligonucleotide drugs targeting various exons are in clinical development in order to treat a greater proportion of DMD patient mutations. Relatively recent advances in the field of genome engineering (specifically, the development of the CRISPR/Cas system) have provided multiple promising therapeutic approaches for the RNA-directed genetic correction of DMD, including exon excision, exon reframing via the introduction of insertion/deletion mutations, disruption of splice signals to promote exon skipping, and the templated correction of point mutations by seamless homology directed repair or base editing technology. Potential limitations to the clinical translation of the splice modulation and gene editing approaches are discussed, including drug delivery, the importance of uniform dystrophin expression in corrected myofibres, safety issues (e.g. renal toxicity, viral vector immunogenicity, and off-target gene editing), and the high cost of therapy.

CRISPR base editing and prime editing: DSB and template-free editing systems for bacteria and plants

CRISPR-Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR associated) has been extensively exploited as a genetic tool for genome editing. The RNA guided Cas nucleases generate DNA double-strand break (DSB), triggering cellular repair systems mainly Non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ, imprecise repair) or Homology-directed repair (HDR, precise repair). However, DSB typically leads to unexpected DNA changes and lethality in some organisms. The establishment of bacteria and plants into major bio-production platforms require efficient and precise editing tools. Hence, in this review, we focus on the non-DSB and template-free genome editing, i.e., base editing (BE) and prime editing (PE) in bacteria and plants. We first highlight the development of base and prime editors and summarize their studies in bacteria and plants. We then discuss current and future applications of BE/PE in synthetic biology, crop improvement, evolutionary engineering, and metabolic engineering. Lastly, we critically consider the challenges and prospects of BE/PE in PAM specificity, editing efficiency, off-targeting, sequence specification, and editing window.

Multiple gene substitution by Target-AID base-editing technology in tomato

The use of Target activation-induced cytidine deaminase (Target-AID) base-editing technology with the CRISPR-Cas 9 system fused with activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) resulted in the substitution of a cytidine with a thymine. In previous experiments focusing on a single target gene, this system has been reported to work in several plant species, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). In this research, we used Target-AID technology to target multiple genes related to carotenoid accumulation in tomato. We selected 3 genes, SlDDB1, SlDET1 and SlCYC-B, for their roles in carotenoid accumulation. Among 12 edited T₀ lines, we obtained 10 independent T₀ lines carrying nucleotide substitutions in the three targeted genes, with several allelic versions for each targeted gene. The two edited lines showed significant differences in carotenoid accumulation. These results demonstrate that Target-AID technology is a highly efficient tool for targeting multiple genes with several allelic versions.

Precision Breeding Made Real with CRISPR: Illustration through Genetic Resistance to Pathogens

Since its discovery as a bacterial adaptive immune system and its development for genome editing in eukaryotes, the CRISPR technology has revolutionized plant research and precision crop breeding. The CRISPR toolbox holds great promise in the production of crops with genetic disease resistance to increase agriculture resilience and reduce chemical crop protection with a strong impact on the environment and public health. In this review, we provide an extensive overview on recent breakthroughs in CRISPR technology, including the newly developed prime editing system that allows precision gene editing in plants. We present how each CRISPR tool can be selected for optimal use in accordance with its specific strengths and limitations, and illustrate how the CRISPR toolbox can foster the development of genetically pathogen-resistant crops for sustainable agriculture.

Genome Editing Technologies for Rice Improvement: Progress, Prospects, and Safety Concerns

Rice (Oryza sativa) is an important staple food crop worldwide; to meet the growing nutritional requirements of the increasing population in the face of climate change, qualitative and quantitative traits of rice need to be improved. Stress-tolerant crop varieties must be developed with stable or higher yields under stress conditions. Genome editing and speed breeding have improved the accuracy and pace of rice breeding. New breeding technologies including genome editing have been established in rice, expanding the potential for crop improvement. Recently, other genome editing techniques such as CRISPR-directed evolution, CRISPR-Cas12a, and base editors have also been used for efficient genome editing in rice. Since rice is an excellent model system for functional studies due to its small genome and close syntenic relationships with other cereal crops, new genome-editing technologies continue to be developed for use in rice. In this review, we focus on genome-editing tools for rice improvement to address current challenges and provide examples of genome editing in rice. We also shed light on expanding the scope of genome editing and systems for delivering homology-directed repair templates. Finally, we discuss safety concerns and methods for obtaining transgene-free crops.

Precision genome editing in plants: state-of-the-art in CRISPR/Cas9-based genome engineering

Traditionally, generation of new plants with improved or desirable features has relied on laborious and time-consuming breeding techniques. Genome-editing technologies have led to a new era of genome engineering, enabling an effective, precise, and rapid engineering of the plant genomes. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) has emerged as a new genome-editing tool, extensively applied in various organisms, including plants. The use of CRISPR/Cas9 allows generating transgene-free genome-edited plants ("null segregants") in a short period of time. In this review, we provide a critical overview of the recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9 derived technologies for inducing mutations at target sites in the genome and controlling the expression of target genes. We highlight the major breakthroughs in applying CRISPR/Cas9 to plant engineering, and challenges toward the production of null segregants. We also provide an update on the efforts of engineering Cas9 proteins, newly discovered Cas9 variants, and novel CRISPR/Cas systems for use in plants. The application of CRISPR/Cas9 and related technologies in plant engineering will not only facilitate molecular breeding of crop plants but also accelerate progress in basic research.

Base Editing: The Ever Expanding Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) Tool Kit for Precise Genome Editing in Plants

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9), a newly developed genome-editing tool, has revolutionized animal and plant genetics by facilitating modification of target genes. This simple, convenient base-editing technology was developed to improve the precision of genome editing. Base editors generate precise point mutations by permanent base conversion at a specific point, with very low levels of insertions and deletions. Different plant base editors have been established by fusing various nucleobase deaminases with Cas9, Cas13, or Cas12a (Cpf1), proteins. Adenine base editors can efficiently convert adenine (A) to guanine (G), whereas cytosine base editors can convert cytosine (C) to thymine (T) in the target region. RNA base editors can induce a base substitution of A to inosine (I) or C to uracil (U). In this review, we describe the precision of base editing systems and their revolutionary applications in plant science; we also discuss the limitations and future perspectives of this approach.

High-Throughput Screens of PAM-Flexible Cas9 Variants for Gene Knockout and Transcriptional Modulation

A key limitation of the widely used CRISPR enzyme S. pyogenes Cas9 is the strict requirement of an NGG protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) at the target site. This constraint can be limiting for genome editing applications that require precise Cas9 positioning. Recently, two Cas9 variants with a relaxed PAM requirement (NG) have been developed (xCas9 and Cas9-NG), but their activity has been measured at only a small number of endogenous sites. Here, we devise a high-throughput Cas9 pooled competition screen to compare the performance of Cas9 variants at thousands of genomic loci for gene knockout, transcriptional activation, and inhibition. We show that PAM flexibility comes at a substantial cost of decreased DNA targeting and cleavage. Of the PAM-flexible variants, we find that Cas9-NG outperforms xCas9 regardless of genome engineering modality or PAM. Finally, we combine xCas9 mutations with those of Cas9-NG, creating a stronger transcriptional modulator than existing PAM-flexible Cas9 variants.

Simplified adenine base editors improve adenine base editing efficiency in rice

Adenine base editors (ABEs) have been exploited to introduce targeted adenine (A) to guanine (G) base conversions in various plant genomes, including rice, wheat and Arabidopsis. However, the ABEs reported thus far are all quite inefficient at many target sites in rice, which hampers their applications in plant genome engineering and crop breeding. Here, we show that unlike in the mammalian system, a simplified base editor ABE-P1S (Adenine Base Editor-Plant version 1 Simplified) containing the ecTadA*7.10-nSpCas9 (D10A) fusion has much higher editing efficiency in rice compared to the widely used ABE-P1 consisting of the ecTadA-ecTadA*7.10-nSpCas9 (D10A) fusion. We found that the protein expression level of ABE-P1S is higher than that of ABE-P1 in rice calli and protoplasts, which may explain the higher editing efficiency of ABE-P1S in different rice varieties. Moreover, we demonstrate that the ecTadA*7.10-nCas9 fusion can be used to improve the editing efficiency of other ABEs containing SaCas9 or the engineered SaKKH-Cas9 variant. These more efficient ABEs will help advance trait improvements in rice and other crops.

CRISPR-Cas nucleases and base editors for plant genome editing

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) and base editors are fundamental tools in plant genome editing. Cas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9), recognizing an NGG protospacer adjacent motif (PAM), is a widely used nuclease for genome editing in living cells. Cas12a nucleases, targeting T-rich PAMs, have also been recently demonstrated in several plant species. Furthermore, multiple Cas9 and Cas12a engineered variants and orthologs, with different PAM recognition sites, editing efficiencies and fidelity, have been explored in plants. These RNA-guided sequence-specific nucleases (SSN) generate double-stranded breaks (DSBs) in DNA, which trigger non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair or homology-directed repair (HDR), resulting in insertion and deletion (indel) mutations or precise gene replacement, respectively. Alternatively, genome editing can be achieved by base editors without introducing DSBs. So far, several base editors have been applied in plants to introduce C-to-T or A-to-G transitions, but they are still undergoing improvement in editing window size, targeting scope, off-target effects in DNA and RNA, product purity and overall activity. Here, we summarize recent progress on the application of Cas nucleases, engineered Cas variants and base editors in plants.

Genome editing in grass plants

Cereal crops including maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, barley, millet, oats and rye are the major calorie sources in our daily life and also important bioenergy sources of the world. The rapidly advancing and state-of-the-art genome-editing tools such as zinc finger nucleases, TAL effector nucleases, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated systems (CRISPR-Cas9-, CRISPR-Cas12a- and CRISPR/Cas-derived base editors) have accelerated the functional genomics and have promising potential for precision breeding of grass crops. With the availability of annotated genomes of the major cereal crops, application of these established genome-editing toolkits to grass plants holds promise to increase the nutritional value and productivity. Furthermore, these easy-to-use and robust genome-editing toolkits have advanced the reverse genetics for discovery of novel gene functions in crop plants. In this review, we document some of important progress in development and utilization of genome-editing tool sets in grass plants. We also highlight present and future uses of genome-editing toolkits that can sustain and improve the quality of cereal grain for food consumption.

Base editing in crops: current advances, limitations and future implications

Targeted mutagenesis via genome-editing technologies holds great promise in developing improved crop varieties to meet future demands. Point mutations or single nucleotide polymorphisms often determine important agronomic traits of crops. Genome-editing-based single-base changes could generate elite trait variants in crop plants which help in accelerating crop improvement. Among the genome-editing technologies, base editing has emerged as a novel and efficient genome-editing approach which enables direct and irreversible conversion of one target base into another in a programmable manner. A base editor is a fusion of catalytically inactive CRISPR-Cas9 domain (Cas9 variants) and cytosine or adenosine deaminase domain that introduces desired point mutations in the target region enabling precise editing of genomes. In the present review, we have summarized the development of different base-editing platforms. Then, we have focussed on the current advances and the potential applications of this precise technology in crop improvement. The review also sheds light on the limitations associated with this technology. Finally, the future perspectives of this emerging technology towards crop improvement have been highlighted.

The emerging and uncultivated potential of CRISPR technology in plant science

The application of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) for genetic manipulation has revolutionized life science over the past few years. CRISPR was first discovered as an adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea, and then engineered to generate targeted DNA breaks in living cells and organisms. During the cellular DNA repair process, various DNA changes can be introduced. The diverse and expanding CRISPR toolbox allows programmable genome editing, epigenome editing and transcriptome regulation in plants. However, challenges in plant genome editing need to be fully appreciated and solutions explored. This Review intends to provide an informative summary of the latest developments and breakthroughs of CRISPR technology, with a focus on achievements and potential utility in plant biology. Ultimately, CRISPR will not only facilitate basic research, but also accelerate plant breeding and germplasm development. The application of CRISPR to improve germplasm is particularly important in the context of global climate change as well as in the face of current agricultural, environmental and ecological challenges.