Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing in Filamentous Fungi

As an important class of microorganisms, filamentous fungi have crucial roles in protein secretion, secondary metabolite production and environmental pollution control. However, characteristics such as apical growth, heterokaryon, low homologous recombination (HR) efficiency and the scarcity of gene...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bin Ma, Yimiao Li, Tinghui Wang, Dongming Li, Shuang Jia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Fungi
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/350
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849327290429734912
author Bin Ma
Yimiao Li
Tinghui Wang
Dongming Li
Shuang Jia
author_facet Bin Ma
Yimiao Li
Tinghui Wang
Dongming Li
Shuang Jia
author_sort Bin Ma
collection DOAJ
description As an important class of microorganisms, filamentous fungi have crucial roles in protein secretion, secondary metabolite production and environmental pollution control. However, characteristics such as apical growth, heterokaryon, low homologous recombination (HR) efficiency and the scarcity of genetic markers mean that the application of traditional gene editing technology in filamentous fungi faces great challenges. The introduction of the RNA-mediated CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRlSPR-associated protein) system in filamentous fungi in recent years has revolutionized gene editing in filamentous fungi. In addition, the continuously expressed CRISPR system has significantly improved the editing efficiency, while the optimized sgRNA design and reduced cas9 concentration have effectively reduced the off-target effect, further enhancing the safety and reliability of the technology. In this review, we systematically analyze the molecular mechanism and regulatory factors of CRISPR/Cas9, focus on the optimization of its expression system and the improvement of the transformation efficiency in filamentous fungi, and reveal the core regulatory roles of HR and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathways in gene editing. Based on the analysis of various filamentous fungi applications, this review reveals the outstanding advantages of CRISPR/Cas9 in the enhancement of protein secretion, addresses the reconstruction of secondary metabolic pathways and pollutant degradation in the past decade, and provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the optimization of the technology and engineering applications.
format Article
id doaj-art-016a0889c567419bbdef20c2c6c248b4
institution Kabale University
issn 2309-608X
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Journal of Fungi
spelling doaj-art-016a0889c567419bbdef20c2c6c248b42025-08-20T03:47:54ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2025-05-0111535010.3390/jof11050350Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing in Filamentous FungiBin Ma0Yimiao Li1Tinghui Wang2Dongming Li3Shuang Jia4School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, ChinaAs an important class of microorganisms, filamentous fungi have crucial roles in protein secretion, secondary metabolite production and environmental pollution control. However, characteristics such as apical growth, heterokaryon, low homologous recombination (HR) efficiency and the scarcity of genetic markers mean that the application of traditional gene editing technology in filamentous fungi faces great challenges. The introduction of the RNA-mediated CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRlSPR-associated protein) system in filamentous fungi in recent years has revolutionized gene editing in filamentous fungi. In addition, the continuously expressed CRISPR system has significantly improved the editing efficiency, while the optimized sgRNA design and reduced cas9 concentration have effectively reduced the off-target effect, further enhancing the safety and reliability of the technology. In this review, we systematically analyze the molecular mechanism and regulatory factors of CRISPR/Cas9, focus on the optimization of its expression system and the improvement of the transformation efficiency in filamentous fungi, and reveal the core regulatory roles of HR and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathways in gene editing. Based on the analysis of various filamentous fungi applications, this review reveals the outstanding advantages of CRISPR/Cas9 in the enhancement of protein secretion, addresses the reconstruction of secondary metabolic pathways and pollutant degradation in the past decade, and provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the optimization of the technology and engineering applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/350CRISPR/Cas9filamentous fungigenome editing
spellingShingle Bin Ma
Yimiao Li
Tinghui Wang
Dongming Li
Shuang Jia
Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing in Filamentous Fungi
Journal of Fungi
CRISPR/Cas9
filamentous fungi
genome editing
title Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing in Filamentous Fungi
title_full Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing in Filamentous Fungi
title_fullStr Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing in Filamentous Fungi
title_full_unstemmed Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing in Filamentous Fungi
title_short Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing in Filamentous Fungi
title_sort advances in crispr cas9 based gene editing in filamentous fungi
topic CRISPR/Cas9
filamentous fungi
genome editing
url https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/350
work_keys_str_mv AT binma advancesincrisprcas9basedgeneeditinginfilamentousfungi
AT yimiaoli advancesincrisprcas9basedgeneeditinginfilamentousfungi
AT tinghuiwang advancesincrisprcas9basedgeneeditinginfilamentousfungi
AT dongmingli advancesincrisprcas9basedgeneeditinginfilamentousfungi
AT shuangjia advancesincrisprcas9basedgeneeditinginfilamentousfungi