Strategies for the Development of Industrial Fungal Producing Strains

The use of microorganisms in industry has enabled the (over)production of various compounds (e.g., primary and secondary metabolites, proteins and enzymes) that are relevant for the production of antibiotics, food, beverages, cosmetics, chemicals and biofuels, among others. Industrial strains are commonly obtained by conventional (non-GMO) strain improvement strategies and random screening and selection. However, recombinant DNA technology has made it possible to improve microbial strains by adding, deleting or modifying specific genes. Techniques such as genetic engineering and genome editing are contributing to the development of industrial production strains. Nevertheless, there is still significant room for further strain improvement. In this review, we will focus on classical and recent methods, tools and technologies used for the development of fungal production strains with the potential to be applied at an industrial scale. Additionally, the use of functional genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics together with the implementation of genetic manipulation techniques and expression tools will be discussed.

Automated summary

The use of microorganisms in industry allows for the mass production of various compounds relevant to antibiotics, food, beverages, cosmetics, chemicals, and biofuels. Traditional strain improvement and random screening are commonly used to obtain industrial strains, but recombinant DNA technology has enabled the improvement of microbial strains by gene manipulation. Genetic engineering, genome editing, and other techniques are contributing to the development of fungal production strains. This review discusses classical and recent methods, tools, and technologies used to develop fungal production strains for industrial applications, as well as the use of functional genomics and other omics technologies in combination with genetic manipulation techniques.