Robust CRISPR/Mb2Cas12a genome editing tools in cotton plants.

ABSTRACT

The efficiency and accuracy of the CRISPR/Mb2Cas12a system were demonstrated in cotton, achieving an efficiency of over 90% at target sites. Notably, Mb2Cas12a exhibited significant tolerance under different temperatures ranging from 22°C to 32°C. Additionally, the Mb2Cas12a system revealed effective editing at more relaxed VTTV PAM sites in the cotton genome, which expanded the genome editing range by approximately 2.6-fold than the wide-type LbCas12a. Finally, a multiplex genome editing system was also developed based on Mb2Cas12a, enabling simultaneous editing of eight target sites using a single crRNA cassette.