The development of CRISPR–Cas systems has sparked a genome editing revolution in plant genetics and breeding. These sequence-specific RNA-guided nucleases can induce DNA double-stranded breaks, resulting in mutations by imprecise non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair or precise DNA sequence replacement by homology-directed repair (HDR). However, HDR is highly inefficient in many plant species, which has greatly limited precise genome editing in plants. To fill the vital gap in precision editing, base editing and prime editing technologies have recently been developed and demonstrated in numerous plant species. These technologies, which are mainly based on Cas9 nickases, can introduce precise changes into the target genome at a single-base resolution. This Review provides a timely overview of the current status of base editors and prime editors in plants, covering both technological developments and biological applications.

CRISPR-Cas 系统的发展引发了植物遗传学和育种领域的基因组编辑革命。这些序列特异性 RNA 引导的核酸酶可以诱导 DNA 双链断裂，通过不精确的非同源末端连接 (NHEJ) 修复或通过同源定向修复 (HDR) 的精确 DNA 序列替换导致突变。然而，HDR 在许多植物物种中的效率非常低，这极大地限制了植物中的精确基因组编辑。为了填补精确编辑的重要空白，最近开发了碱基编辑和原始编辑技术，并在许多植物物种中得到了证明。这些主要基于 Cas9 切口酶的技术可以以单碱基分辨率将精确的变化引入目标基因组。