A Tale of Two Moieties: Rapidly Evolving CRISPR/Cas-Based Genome Editing.

Two major moieties in genome editing are required for precise genetic changes: the locator moiety for target binding and the effector moiety for genetic engineering. By taking advantage of CRISPR/Cas, which consists of different modules for independent target binding and cleavage, a spectrum of precise and versatile genome editing technologies have been developed for broad applications in biomedical research, biotechnology, and therapeutics. Here, we briefly summarize the progress of genome editing systems from a view of both locator and effector moieties and highlight the advance of newly reported CRISPR-conjugated base editing and prime editing systems. We also underscore distinct mechanisms of off-target effects in CRISPR-conjugated systems and further discuss possible strategies to reduce off-target mutations in the future.