Cytosine base editor 4 but not adenine base editor generates off-target mutations in mouse embryos

Deaminase base editing has emerged as a tool to install or correct point mutations in the genomes of living cells in a wide range of organisms. However, the genome-wide off-target effects introduced by base editors (ABE) in mouse embryos have been examined in only one study. Here, we have investigated the fidelity of cytosine base editor 4 (BE4) and adenine base editor (ABE) in mouse embryos using unbiased whole-genome sequencing of a family-based trio cohort. The same sgRNA was used for BE4 and ABE. We demonstrate that BE4-edited mice carry an excess of single-nucleotide variants and deletions compared to ABE-edited mice and controls. Therefore, an optimization of cytosine base editors is required to improve its fidelity. While the remarkable fidelity of ABE has implications for a wide range of applications, the occurrence of rare aberrant C-to-T conversions at specific target sites needs to be addressed.

Hye Kyung Lee, Harold E. Smith, Chengyu Liu, Michaela Willi, Lothar Hennighausen