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

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Molecular Biology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a vital global food staple, necessitating continuous improvement for food security.
• Genome editing technologies are essential for developing new crop varieties with enhanced agronomic traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress, advances, and limitations of base editing technology for rice crop improvement.
• To discuss adenine and cytosine base editors for precise genome editing in rice.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on base editing tools in rice.
• Analysis of adenine and cytosine base editors, including their fusion with catalytically inactive CRISPR/Cas9 domains and deaminase domains.

Main Results:

• Base editing enables precise single-nucleotide changes in the rice genome.
• Adenine and cytosine base editors are effective tools for targeted genome modification in rice.

Conclusions:

• Base editing is a promising and reliable technology for enhancing rice varieties.
• Further research into base editing holds significant potential for sustainable agriculture and global food security.