Cas12a is competitive for gene editing in the malaria parasites.

Malaria, caused by the Plasmodium parasites, has always been one of the worst infectious diseases that threaten human health, making it necessary for us to study the genetic function and physiological mechanisms of Plasmodium parasites from the molecular level to find more effective ways of addressing the increasingly pressing threat. The CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated protein) is an RNA-guided adaptive immune system, which has been extensively developed and used as a genome editing tool in many organisms, including Plasmodium parasites. However, due to the physiological characteristics and special genomic characteristics of Plasmodium parasites, most of the tools currently used for genome editing of Plasmodium parasites have not met expectations. CRISPR-Cas12a (also known as Cpf1), one of the CRISPR-Cas systems, has attracted considerable attention because of its characteristics of being used for biological diagnosis and multiple genome editing. Recent studies have shown that its unique properties fit the genetic makeup of Plasmodium parasites making it a promising tool for gene editing in these parasites. In this review, we have summarized the relevant content of the Cas12 family, especially the frequently used Cas12a, its advantages for gene editing, and the application prospects in Plasmodium parasites.