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Base editing represents a cutting-edge genome editing technique that utilizes the CRISPR system to guide base deaminases with high precision to specific genomic sites, facilitating the targeted alteration of individual nucleotides. Unlike traditional gene editing approaches, base editing does not require DNA double-strand breaks or donor templates. It functions independently of the cellular DNA repair machinery, offering significant advantages in terms of both efficiency and accuracy. In this review, we summarize the core design principles of various DNA base editors, their distinctive editing characteristics, and tactics to refine their efficacy. We also summarize their applications in crop genetic improvement and explore their potential contributions to forest genetic engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phased small-interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) are a special class of small RNAs, which are generated in 21- or 24-nt intervals from transcripts of precursor RNAs. Although phasiRNAs have been found in a range of organisms, their biological functions in plants have yet to be uncovered. Here we show that phasiRNAs generated by the photopheriod-sensetive genic male sterility 1 (Pms1) locus were associated with photoperiod-sensitive male sterility (PSMS) in rice, a germplasm that started the two-line hybrid rice breeding. The Pms1 locus encodes a long-noncoding RNA PMS1T that was preferentially expressed in young panicles. PMS1T was targeted by miR2118 to produce 21-nt phasiRNAs that preferentially accumulated in the PSMS line under long-day conditions. A single nucleotide polymorphism in PMS1T nearby the miR2118 recognition site was critical for fertility change, likely leading to differential accumulation of the phasiRNAs. This result suggested possible roles of phasiRNAs in reproductive development of rice, demonstrating the potential importance of this RNA class as regulators in biological processes.

We conducted a systematic review on the research on mammals in the Far Eastern Himalaya Landscape using the SALSA approach, with a focus on opportunities for cross-border collaboration among India, Myanmar and China. A total of 124 literatures from 1962 to 2021 were identified and reviewed. Over the decades, there has been a steady increase in research and publications on the subject and their thematic focuses have been on inventory, distribution, conservation, behaviour, taxonomy and discovery of new species. There are more inter-region than intra-region collaborations in the researches with contributions from 408 authors from 30 countries. The review recorded a total of 240 mammal species in the landscape belonging to 11 orders, 36 families, and 123 genera. Sixty-one species were common to all three countries while eighteen to twenty two species have cross-border distribution between the two countries. At least eleven new mammal species unknown to science have been discovered from the region in recent decades out of which eight are endemic to the region. There is a clear comparative data deficit in Myanmar as well as areas outside the existing protected area of the landscape. Mammals in the landscape are facing multiple anthropogenic threats such as illegal hunting, wildlife trade, and habitat loss and fragmentation. According to the IUCN Red List, 19.6% (n = 47) of the total species recorded in the landscape are threatened with extinction, including five Critically Endangered, 19 Endangered and 23 Vulnerable species. We recommend strengthening joint research to address data deficit, improving regional or transboundary collaboration for conservation management, bridging the gaps of protected area network, and empowering local communities for effective mammal conservation in the landscape.