Upgraded gene-editing tool unlocks more targets in crop DNA
Wang Y, Xu H, Lu W, Wan Z, Xu Z
Crispr
The tomatoes and cabbage you grow or buy could see faster-bred traits like disease resistance or better flavor, since researchers now have a far more flexible tool to edit the genes that control them.
CRISPR gene editing in plants has long relied on a protein called Cas12a, but it only works at DNA sites with a specific short sequence nearby, which limits where scientists can make edits. Researchers tweaked Cas12a with a few targeted mutations and added a helper enzyme, letting it recognize a much wider range of these sequences. The upgraded tool worked in Chinese cabbage, tomato, and rice, and could even delete large chunks of DNA cleanly, giving plant breeders a more flexible way to study and improve crops.
Key Findings
Engineered T5exo-PF-LbCas12a carries a triple mutation (D535G/S551F/D665N) fused with T5 exonuclease, expanding recognized PAM sequences from 5'-VTTV-3' to the much broader 5'-NYHV-3'
The system achieved efficient editing at noncanonical PAM sites across three distinct crop species: nonheading Chinese cabbage, tomato, and rice
First demonstration of Cas12-mediated large-fragment DNA deletion via microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) in plants
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists engineered a modified version of the CRISPR gene-editing tool Cas12a that can cut DNA at far more locations in plant genomes than before, and used it to make large, precise deletions in cabbage, tomato, and rice.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Establishment of an efficient and PAM-relaxed LbCas12a genome editing tool in plants.
Cas12a is widely used in plant genome editing, but its targeting scope is constrained by stringent protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) requirements and variable activity across species, limiting its a...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Chinese cabbage is either of two cultivar groups of leaf vegetables often used in Chinese cuisine: the Pekinensis Group and the Chinensis Group.