Boosting cytosine base editing in potato through synergistic optimization
Yan Zhang1, Lumin Zhang2,3, Jiuzhou Deng1
1State Key Laboratory of Genome and Multi-omics Technologies, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China.
Horticulture Research
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed efficient cytosine base editors (CBEs) for potato, significantly boosting editing efficiency for crop improvement. This advancement enables precise genetic modifications, like achieving herbicide resistance in potato (Solanum tuberosum).
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Molecular Biology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a globally significant food crop.
- Base editing offers precise genetic modification for improving crop traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop efficient cytosine base editors (CBEs) for potato.
- To optimize CBEs for enhanced editing efficiency and specific applications.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated cytidine deaminases to construct high-efficiency CBEs.
- Optimized CBE expression using specific promoters and enhancers.
- Incorporated chromatin-modulating peptides and hFTO for accessibility.
- Tested optimized CBEs in hairy root assays.
Main Results:
- Identified two highly efficient cytidine deaminases for CBE construction.
- Optimized CBEs achieved up to 76.7% editing efficiency, a nearly 3-fold increase.
- Simultaneously edited StALS1 and StALS2 genes with 85.7% efficiency.
- Generated homozygous mutant potato with herbicide resistance.
Conclusions:
- Established novel and efficient CBEs for potato genetic engineering.
- Demonstrated strategies for enhancing CRISPR-based editing tool efficiency.
- Provided a foundation for developing improved potato varieties with desirable agronomic traits.
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