CRISPR-Based Approaches to Engineer Nonmodel Bacteria for Bioproduction and Biotherapeutics

Area of Science:

• Microbial biotechnology
• Synthetic biology
• Genome engineering

Background:

• Microbial diversity offers vast biotechnological potential but is limited by genetic manipulation barriers in nonmodel organisms.
• Most advances rely on a narrow range of model microbes, leaving many untapped.
• CRISPR-Cas systems have revolutionized microbial engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review CRISPR-Cas toolkits and innovations for microbial engineering.
• To highlight applications in previously challenging nonmodel organisms.
• To discuss emerging impacts and future directions in microbial biotechnology.

Main Methods:

• Summarizing major CRISPR-Cas systems and recent advancements.
• Focusing on translational applications in diverse nonmodel microbes (e.g., acetogens, Streptomyces, Bacteroides).
• Emphasizing integration with synthetic biology and systems-level approaches.

Main Results:

• CRISPR-Cas systems enable precise, programmable, and scalable genome control in microbes.
• These systems facilitate engineering of nonmodel organisms, expanding biotechnological opportunities.
• Emerging impacts include microbial cell factories, natural product discovery, and live biotherapeutics.

Conclusions:

• CRISPR-Cas technology is crucial for overcoming genetic barriers in nonmodel microbes.
• Integration of genome editing, synthetic biology, and systems approaches is transforming microbial biotechnology.
• Future opportunities lie in sustainable biomanufacturing, drug discovery, and advanced therapeutics.