AUTHOR=Mattiello Lucia , Rütgers Mark , Sua-Rojas Maria Fernanda , Tavares Rafael , Soares José Sérgio , Begcy Kevin , Menossi Marcelo TITLE=Molecular and Computational Strategies to Increase the Efficiency of CRISPR-Based Techniques JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.868027 DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.868027 ISSN=1664-462X ABSTRACT=

The prokaryote-derived Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas mediated gene editing tools have revolutionized our ability to precisely manipulate specific genome sequences in plants and animals. The simplicity, precision, affordability, and robustness of this technology have allowed a myriad of genomes from a diverse group of plant species to be successfully edited. Even though CRISPR/Cas, base editing, and prime editing technologies have been rapidly adopted and implemented in plants, their editing efficiency rate and specificity varies greatly. In this review, we provide a critical overview of the recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9-derived technologies and their implications on enhancing editing efficiency. We highlight the major efforts of engineering Cas9, Cas12a, Cas12b, and Cas12f proteins aiming to improve their efficiencies. We also provide a perspective on the global future of agriculturally based products using DNA-free CRISPR/Cas techniques. The improvement of CRISPR-based technologies efficiency will enable the implementation of genome editing tools in a variety of crop plants, as well as accelerate progress in basic research and molecular breeding.