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CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing of the filamentous fungi: the state of the art

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Abstract

In recent years, a variety of genetic tools have been developed and applied to various filamentous fungi, which are widely applied in agriculture and the food industry. However, the low efficiency of gene targeting has for many years hampered studies on functional genomics in this important group of microorganisms. The emergence of CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technology has sparked a revolution in genetic research due to its high efficiency, versatility, and easy operation and opened the door for the discovery and exploitation of many new natural products. Although the application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in filamentous fungi is still in its infancy compared to its common use in E. coli, yeasts, and mammals, the deep development of this system will certainly drive the exploitation of fungal diversity. In this review, we summarize the research progress on CRISPR/Cas9 systems in filamentous fungi and finally highlight further prospects in this area.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21376002, 21476111 and 21776131), the Jiangsu Province Natural Science Foundation of China (No. BK20131405), the Program for Innovative Research Team in University of Jiangsu Province, and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 South Puzhu Road, Nanjing, 211816, People’s Republic of China

    Tian-Qiong Shi, Guan-Nan Liu, Rong-Yu Ji, Kun Shi, Ping Song, Lu-Jing Ren & Xiao-Jun Ji

  2. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 South Puzhu Road, Nanjing, 211816, People’s Republic of China

    He Huang

  3. State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 5 Xinmofan Road, Nanjing, 210009, People’s Republic of China

    He Huang

  4. Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), No. 5 Xinmofan Road, Nanjing, 210009, People’s Republic of China

    Lu-Jing Ren, He Huang & Xiao-Jun Ji

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  1. Tian-Qiong Shi
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  2. Guan-Nan Liu
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Correspondence to Xiao-Jun Ji.

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Shi, TQ., Liu, GN., Ji, RY. et al. CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing of the filamentous fungi: the state of the art. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 101, 7435–7443 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8497-9

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