Bioengineering of fungal endophytes through the CRISPR/Cas9 system

Vinita Verma; Arpita Batta; Harikesh B Singh; Alok Srivastava; Sanjay Kumar Garg; Vijay Pal Singh; Pankaj Kumar Arora

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1146650

Bioengineering of fungal endophytes through the CRISPR/Cas9 system

Front Microbiol. 2023 Mar 16:14:1146650. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1146650. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Vinita Verma¹, Arpita Batta², Harikesh B Singh³, Alok Srivastava⁴, Sanjay Kumar Garg⁴, Vijay Pal Singh⁴, Pankaj Kumar Arora¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Microbiology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India.
² Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
³ Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
⁴ Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Applied Sciences, MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, India.

Abstract

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a genome-editing tool that allows for precise and efficient modifications to the DNA of a cell. This technology can be used in endophytic fungi, which live within plants and can have beneficial effects on their host, making them important for agriculture. Using CRISPR/Cas9, researchers can introduce specific genetic changes into endophytic fungal genomes, allowing them to study the function of genes, improve their plant-growth-promoting properties, and create new, more beneficial endophytes. This system works by using the Cas9 protein, which acts as a pair of molecular scissors, to cut DNA at specific locations determined by a guide RNA. Once the DNA is cut, the cell's natural repair mechanisms can be used to insert or delete specific genes, allowing for precise editing of the fungal genome. This article discusses the mechanism and applications of CRISPR/Cas9 to fungal endophytes.

Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9 technology; bioactive compounds; bioengineering; fungal endophytes; metabolite.

Publication types

Review