CRISPR-Cas9 interference in cassava linked to the evolution of editing-resistant geminiviruses

Abstract

ABSTRACT We used CRISPR-Cas9 in the staple food crop cassava with the aim of engineering resistance to African cassava mosaic virus , a member of a widespread and important family of plant-pathogenic DNA viruses. We found that between 33 and 48% of edited virus genomes evolved a conserved single-nucleotide mutation that confers resistance to CRISPR-Cas9 cleavage. Our study highlights the potential for virus escape from this technology. Care should be taken to design CRISPR-Cas9 experiments that minimize the risk of virus escape.