A Cas9-linked Hyperactive TadA8e Protein Enables Efficient and Precise A-to-G DNA Base Changes in Rice

Embedding hyperactive TadA8e within Cas9 produced rice adenine base editors that kept strong A-to-G editing while sharply improving specificity.

This plant genome-engineering study built and tested chimeric and high-fidelity adenine base editors in rice, with sequencing confirmation of lower sgRNA-dependent and sgRNA-independent off-target editing and successful installation of a herbicide-resistance OsALS-K591E mutation.

This is preclinical platform work in rice, so the gains are limited to this editing system and organism rather than broader safety or efficacy in other species or clinical settings.