CRISPR-Cas12a ribonucleoprotein-mediated gene editing in the plant pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Gene replacements through homologous recombination (HR) have been extensively used for functional genomic studies. However, the general efficiency of HR repair can be low in filamentous fungi and the process laborious. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for efficient gene editing by inserting donor DNA into a region of interest following Cas12a ribonucleoprotein (RNP)-mediated DNA double-strand break. We demonstrate this protocol using Magnaporthe oryzae (synonym of Pyricularia oryzae), a model plant pathogenic fungus that is used to study plant-fungal interactions. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Huang et al. (2021).