This invention relates to the field of
biotechnology and provides a method for
gene editing in soybean using Cas12i, comprising the following steps: Step 1, constructing a
plant binary vector expressing the Cas12i
nuclease, wherein amino acids at positions 369 and 433 of the Cas12i
nuclease are mutated to
arginine, respectively; Step 2, designing gRNAs targeting the soybean GmFAD2-1A and GmFAD2-1B genes; Step 3, co-transforming the gRNA
expression cassette and the Cas12i
nuclease expression cassette into soybean recipient material using
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation; Step 4, screening to obtain T0 generation transgenic plants and identifying the
target gene editing type by molecular detection. Simultaneously mutating amino acids at positions 369 and 433 of the Cas12i nuclease to
arginine significantly enhances the nuclease's cleavage activity and targeting specificity in
plant cells, doubling the efficiency of dual
gene knockout. Furthermore, the Cas12i nuclease used recognizes the TTC-PAM sequence, allowing it to target more AT-rich regions, significantly expanding the editing window of the soybean
genome while reducing off-target risks.