Engineered ADARs enable single-nucleotide resolution DNA A-to-G editing without bystander effects
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: The adenine base editor (ABE), which enables A•T-to-G•C base conversion, has emerged as a powerful tool for therapeutic applications. However, conventional ABEs suffer from bystander nucleotide conversions, limiting their utility for precise editing. Here, we present a single-nucleotide resolution ABE (snuABE) created by fusing a nickase Cas9, nCas9(H840A), with the deaminase domain of ADAR, which acts on DNA:RNA hybrids, instead of TadA, which acts on single-stranded DNA in conventional ABEs. snuABE requires a specially designed target-adenine guide RNA (tagRNA) that introduces a mismatch at the target adenine, enabling highly specific A-to-G editing by ADAR. Engineering ADAR from Pediculus humanus using the in silico protein evolution algorithm EvolvePro, along with 3’-end protection of the tagRNA, further enhances the editing activity of snuABE in human cells. Moreover, snuABE exhibits significantly reduced DNA off-target activity, highlighting its potential as a safer and more precise base editing technology for therapeutic applications.
Authors: Hyeon Woo Im, Bada Jeong, Yeji Lee, Ye Eun Oh, Chanju Jung, Yong-Woo Kim, Heesoo Uhm, Sangsu Bae
Institution: Seoul National University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4412501749