Plant base editing and prime editing: The current status and future perspectives

Area of Science:

• Plant biotechnology
• Molecular genetics
• Agricultural science

Background:

• Gene editing technologies are crucial for crop improvement, aiming for precise allele replacement.
• Base editing (BE) and prime editing (PE) are advanced systems enabling targeted DNA modifications without double-strand breaks or donor templates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in base editing and prime editing technologies.
• To summarize their applications in plant research and crop improvement.
• To recommend suitable editors and suggest future optimization strategies.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of base editor (BE) and prime editor (PE) development.
• Analysis of reported strategies for optimizing BE and PE efficacy, specificity, and targeting scope.
• Compilation of current and potential applications in plants.

Main Results:

• Various strategies have been developed to enhance BE and PE performance.
• These editors have demonstrated significant applications in plant biological research.
• Optimized BEs and PEs show promise for targeted crop improvement.

Conclusions:

• Base editing and prime editing are rapidly evolving precision gene editing tools.
• These technologies are becoming indispensable for both basic plant science and agricultural applications.
• Further optimization will likely establish BEs and PEs as routine tools for customized crop improvement.