Rationally designed APOBEC3B cytosine base editors with improved specificity
Open accessAbstract
Cytosine base editors (CBEs) generate C-to-T nucleotide substitutions in genomic target sites without inducing double-strand breaks. However, CBEs such as BE3 can cause genome-wide off-target changes via sgRNA-independent DNA deamination. By leveraging the orthogonal R-loops generated by SaCas9 nickase to mimic actively transcribed genomic loci that are more susceptible to cytidine deaminase, we set up a high-throughput assay for assessing sgRNA-independent off-target effects of CBEs in rice protoplasts. The reliability of this assay was confirmed by the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 10 base editors in regenerated rice plants. The R-loop assay was used to screen a series of rationally designed A3Bctd-BE3 variants for improved specificity. We obtained 2 efficient CBE variants, A3Bctd-VHM-BE3 and A3Bctd-KKR-BE3, and the WGS analysis revealed that these new CBEs eliminated sgRNA-independent DNA off-target edits in rice plants. Moreover, these 2 base editor variants were more precise at their target sites by producing fewer multiple C edits.
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sgRNA-independent DNA editing is likely deposited on loci where DNA unwinds into an R-loop so single-strand genomic DNA is exposed to deaminases.
“The sgRNA-independent DNA editing is likely deposited on loci where DNA unwinds into an R-loop so single-strand genomic DNA is exposed to deaminases”
From Off-target effects in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing (2023) · cites this paper as Jin et al., 2020
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“The sgRNA-independent DNA editing is likely deposited on loci where DNA unwinds into an R-loop so single-strand genomic DNA is exposed to deaminases (Jin et al., 2020; Richter et al., 2020).”
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- Authors
- Jin, S., Fei, H., Zhu, Z., Luo, Y., Liu, J., Gao, S., Zhang, F., Chen, Y.-H., Wang, Y., & Gao, C.
- Affiliations
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wang, Yanpeng
- Gao, Caixia
- Venue
- Molecular Cell
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-09
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 728-740.e6
- ISSN
- 1097-2765 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3044710522
- Cited by
- 159
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 9.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Molecular Cell (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Transgenic Science and Technology Program (2019ZX08010-003, 2019ZX08010-001)
- Strategic Priority Research Program of the CAS (XDA24020102)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (31788103)
- Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
- United Soybean Board (1920-152-0131-B)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA regulation and disease
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › CAR-T cell therapy research
- Keywords
- APOBEC3B, cytosine base editors, BE3, off-target editing, R-loops, cytidine deamination, rational design, rice protoplasts, whole genome sequencing, genome editing specificity
- MeSH terms
- Gene Editing, RNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas Systems, Cytidine Deaminase, Cytosine, Humans, Mutation, Oryza, Reproducibility of Results, Minor Histocompatibility Antigens, Genes, Plant, RNA, Guide, Kinetoplastida, RNA, Plant
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