Precision multiplexed base editing in human cells using Cas12a-derived base editors

Anabel Y. Schweitzer, Etowah W. Adams, Michael T. A. Nguyen, Monkol Lek and Farren J. Isaacs ()
Additional contact information
Anabel Y. Schweitzer: Yale University
Etowah W. Adams: Yale University
Michael T. A. Nguyen: Yale University
Monkol Lek: Yale School of Medicine
Farren J. Isaacs: Yale University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Base editors enable the direct conversion of target nucleotides without introducing DNA double strand breaks, making them a powerful tool for creating point mutations in a human genome. However, current Cas9-derived base editing technologies have limited ability to simultaneously edit multiple loci with base-pair level precision, hindering the generation of polygenic phenotypes. Here, we test the ability of six Cas12a-derived base editing systems to process multiple gRNAs from a single transcript. We identify base editor variants capable of multiplexed base editing and improve the design of the respective gRNA array expression cassette, enabling multiplexed editing of 15 target sites in multiple human cell lines, increasing state-of-the-art in multiplexing by three-fold in the field of mammalian genome engineering. To reduce bystander mutations, we also develop a Cas12a gRNA engineering approach that directs editing outcomes towards a single base-pair conversion. We combine these advances to demonstrate that both strategies can be combined to drive multiplex base editing with greater precision and reduced bystander mutation rates. Overcoming these key obstacles of mammalian genome engineering technologies will be critical for their use in studying single nucleotide variant-associated diseases and engineering synthetic mammalian genomes.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59653-x Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59653-x

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59653-x

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().