Efficient genome editing in wheat using Cas9 and Cpf1 (AsCpf1 and LbCpf1) nucleases

Genome editing can be used to create new wheat varieties with enhanced performance. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) is a powerful tool for knockout generation, precise modification, multiplex engineering, and the activation and repression of target genes. Targeted mutagenesis via RNA-guided genome editing using type II CRISPR-Cas9 is highly efficient in some plant species, but not in others. One possible solution is to use newly discovered variants of genome editing enzymes such as the class 2 system component Cpf1 (CRISPR from Prevotella and Francisella 1) in place of the more commonly used Cas9. We compared the editing efficiency of Cas9 and two Cpf1 orthologs, AsCpf1 (Acidaminococcus spp. BV3L6) and LbCpf1 (Lachnospiraceae bacterium ND2006) in wheat (Triticum aestivum). LbCpf1 had a higher editing efficiency for the target gene TaPDS than AsCpf1 and Cas9, and Cas9 induced more off-target mutations than AsCpf1 and LbCpf1, suggesting that CRISPR-LbCpf1 is a powerful genome editing tool for polyploid plants such as wheat.