Expanding DdCBE-mediated targeting scope to aC motif preference in rat

An animal model harboring pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations is important to understand the biological links between mtDNA variation and mitochondrial diseases. DdCBE, a DddA-derived cytosine base editor, has been utilized in zebrafish, mice, and rats for tC sequence-context targeting and human mitochondrial disease modeling. However, human pathogenic mtDNA mutations other than the tC context cannot be manipulated. Here, we screened the combination of different DdCBE pairs at pathogenic mtDNA mutation sites with nC (n for a, g, or c) context and identified that the left-G1333C (L1333C) + right G1333N (R1333N) pair could mediate C⋅G-to-T⋅A conversion effectively at aC sites in rat C6 cells. The editing efficiency at disease-associated mtDNA mutation sites within aC context was further confirmed to be up to 67.89% in vivo. Also, the installed disease-associated mtDNA mutations were germline transmittable. Moreover, the edited rats showed impaired cardiac function and mitochondrial function, resembling human mitochondrial disease symptoms. In summary, for the first time, we expanded the DdCBE targeting scope to an aC motif and installed the pathogenic mutation in rats to model human mitochondrial diseases.