Base Editing and Prime Editing

Abstract

The development of new adaptations of CRISPR-based genome editing platforms, such as base editing and prime editing, made it possible to broaden the scope and applications of genome editing in plants. First base editing and, more recently, prime editing evade the creation of double-stranded breaks in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and the requirement of donor template of DNA for repair while enhancing editing efficiency and product purity over CRISPR/Cas9. As base-pair changes in genomic DNA determine many significant agronomic traits, crop varieties can be developed by precisely converting specific single bases in plant genomes. While base editing can introduce specific nucleotide changes, such as transition and transversion mutations in the targeted region, prime editing can create precise insertions, deletions, and all 12 types of point mutations using the “search-and-replace” method.This chapter provides the basic principles of base editing and prime editing technologies and their practical applications in plants. The chapter also summarizes the recent breakthroughs in applying base and prime editors in diverse plant species, including their use in improving disease resistance, herbicide resistance, nutritional quality, crop yield, and quality. Finally, this chapter aims to clearly understand base editing and prime editing in plants by outlining potential developments.