Strain-specific outcomes of cytosine-base editing in Streptomyces.

Cytidine base editors in Streptomyces can produce C:G to G:C transversions at a high rate of 44%, surpassing typical transition mutation outcomes.

• Why it matters: Understanding and controlling mutation types in gene editing is crucial for precise genetic engineering, especially since transversion mutations are usually less efficient and less common.
• What they did: The study used third-generation cytidine base editors across different Streptomyces strains, revealing strain-specific mutation outcomes and timing differences, linked to DNA repair pathways.
• The result: Findings showed that the presence of uvrD helicase correlates with higher C:G to G:C transversions, enabling the development of more efficient transversion base editors for Streptomyces.