Exploiting Cyanobacterial RecET Homologues to Improve Genetic Engineering Efficiency in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Adaptive Laboratory Evolution in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: Current Status and Perspectives

With the increasing environmental concerns about carbon dioxide emissions and the pressing demand for sustainable resources, photosynthetic microorganisms have gained considerable attention as alternative platforms for the environmentally friendly production of fuels and chemicals. These organisms function as green cell factories capable of directly converting carbon dioxide into organic carbon metabolites using solar energy, offering a promising platform for more sustainable biomanufacturing. Among these organisms, cyanobacteria, and particularly Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, have emerged as particularly attractive hosts due to their relatively simple cellular organization, efficient photosynthetic metabolism, and amenability to genetic manipulation. In addition to rational metabolic engineering approaches, Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE) has recently been proposed as a powerful strategy to improve Synechocystis strain robustness, enhance tolerance to environmental and metabolic stresses, and optimize cellular performance under specific growth conditions. By selecting beneficial spontaneous mutations over successive generations, ALE could complement genetic engineering strategies and further expand the potential of cyanobacterial platforms for efficient and sustainable bioproduction.

Terpene-based biofuels production: a revolutionizing role of cyanobacteria through metabolic engineering, opportunities and challenges

A Bacillus thuringiensis ΔcdsR-based expression system for insecticidal proteins identified using AlphaFold3.

This work utilized an AlphaFold3-based structure-prediction approach to identify candidate genes and developed a Bt chassis strain that can be universally used to express new pesticidal proteins, providing a versatile framework for next-generation biocontrol and sustainable pest-management innovation.

Metabolic engineering of Candida yeasts for biotechnological applications.

Candida yeasts represent a versatile yet underexploited platform for industrial biotechnology. These yeasts utilize a remarkably broad range of carbon sources, particularly for hydrophobic carbon sources, coupled with robust growth and diverse biosynthetic capacities, making them promising hosts for sustainable production of chemicals, fuels, and proteins. Despite these advantages, industrial deployment of Candida species has been hindered by concerns regarding opportunistic pathogenicity and the historical lack of efficient genetic manipulation tools, leading to a substantial gap between metabolic potential and practical utilization. Recent advances in functional genomics, genome editing, and systems metabolic engineering are rapidly overcoming these barriers, enabling more precise and efficient strain development. In this review, we systematically summarize recent progress in the metabolic engineering of Candida species as microbial cell factories, with particular emphasis on expanding genetic toolkits, utilizting renewable and non-conventional carbon sources, and biosynthesizing high-value compounds. In addition, we propose a biosafety-oriented classification framework to support their safe industrial deployment. Finally, we discuss current challenges and emerging opportunities, emphasizing that the synergy of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence-driven design holds the key to unlocking the biotechnological potential of Candida yeasts.

Complete genome sequence and mass spectrometry assist mining siderophore turnerbactin analogs in a non-model Pseudoduganella strain with biocontrol potential

Findings indicate that Pseudoduganella sp.

Employing Nanotechnology to Enhance Ethanol Production in Two Synechococcus elongatus Strains

Cyanobacteria have emerged as promising photosynthetic cell factories. However, low product yields remain a bottleneck to industrial exploitation. Here, we use bacterial microcompartment technology to improve product titres using ethanol biosynthesis as the model pathway. Two strategies compared to unmodified enzyme production were tested: first, targeting enzymes to nanofilaments by fusion with encapsulation peptides (EPs) which form non‐covalent interactions with the filaments. Second, the enzyme‐EP fusions were used in the absence of nanofilaments, as EPs tend to form soluble aggregates. Both approaches were tested in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 and the fast‐growing Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 to validate if fast growth is additionally beneficial for bioproduction. The EPs had the most dramatic effect on enzyme levels and ethanol production leading to an increase in titres of up to 84 times in comparison to the unmodified enzymes. While Se7942 exhibited higher titres per cell, titres were the highest in Se2973 due to a 79% increase in final cell density. Ultimately, the best strategy (enzyme‐EP fusion in the absence of PduA*) led to 1.31 g L−1 of ethanol in 6 days. This work demonstrates that nanotechnology‐based strategies can aid cyanobacterial bioproduction and will serve as a blueprint for future engineering efforts.