Shiying Yu

Biotechnology Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, China
Author    Correspondence author
Genomics and Applied Biology, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 2   
Received: 09 Feb., 2025    Accepted: 19 Mar., 2025    Published: 07 Apr., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This study sets out to explore the potential of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology in improving Ganoderma lucidum, with a particular focus on whether it can truly help boost the yield of active ingredients. The article begins with a brief overview of the fungus’s main bioactive compounds-polysaccharides and triterpenoids-and their medicinal value. But here’s the catch: traditional breeding methods, while useful in the past, appear to have hit a bottleneck when it comes to further improving the efficiency of these compounds’ synthesis. Against this backdrop, attention has naturally shifted to CRISPR/Cas9. The paper explains the system’s basic principles and advantages, then illustrates them with practical examples from fungal genetic studies. Notably, the technology has already delivered promising results in editing key genes (such as cyp5150l8 and cyp505d13) and in optimizing metabolic pathways. At the same time, the authors stress that if homologous recombination efficiency could be improved-or if newer methods like ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex delivery were applied-the accuracy and overall efficiency of gene editing could be pushed even further. Finally, the article steps back to consider the bigger picture: CRISPR/Cas9 is not just another piece of lab equipment. It may well become a powerful tool for targeted breeding of active ingredients in Ganoderma lucidum, while also fueling the development of new medicines and functional foods. Looking ahead, it even holds the promise of playing a pivotal role in the broader industrialization of fungal biotechnology.

CRISPR/Cas9; Ganoderma lucidum; Gene editing; Ganoderic acids; Bioactive compounds; Molecular breeding