CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in Ganoderma lucidum: recent advances and biotechnological opportunities

Ganoderma lucidum is a well-known traditional medicinal mushroom that has attracted considerable attention due to its potential as a promising cell factory for producing high-value bioactive compounds. However, conventional methods for the genetic manipulation of G. lucidum are often time-consuming and labor-intensive, hindering research into the biosynthesis and regulatory mechanisms of its valuable natural products. In recent years, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated nuclease 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system has emerged as a powerful genome editing tool, extensively utilized in life sciences research due to its high efficiency and user-friendliness. This review provides a structured overview of advancements in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing technology in G. lucidum. We first discuss the development and optimization of the CRISPR system, focusing on the various expression strategies for Cas9 and guide RNA established in G. lucidum. Furthermore, we highlight the application of this system for targeted gene deletion, insertion, and replacement in genome editing, as well as its use in the functional analysis of genes in G. lucidum. In addition, we discuss the limitations and challenges associated with employing CRISPR/Cas9 tools in G. lucidum and provide an outlook on the future development of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and its applications in this organism.