Cas12a (formerly known as Cpf1), the class II type V CRISPR nuclease, has been widely used for genome editing in mammalian cells and plants due to its distinct characteristics from Cas9. Despite being one of the most robust Cas12a nucleases, LbCas12a in general is less efficient than SpCas9 for genome editing in human cells, animals, and plants.
To improve the editing efficiency of LbCas12a, we conduct saturation mutagenesis in
Our results demonstrate that LbCas12a-RVQ is a powerful tool for genome editing in human cells while LbCas12a-RRV confers robust genome editing in plants. Our study reveals the tremendous potential of these LbCas12a variants for advancing precision genome editing applications across a wide range of organisms.