CD Biosynsis leverages our expertise and experience in fungal synthetic biology to provide our customers with the ideal fungal chassis and help them explore the synthetic biology potential of fungi. Our scientists are dedicated to developing synthetic biology tools that will enable a broader use of fungi in a wide range of industries.
Introduction to Fungal Chassis
Chassis provides a biological framework in synthetic biology to support the plug in and out of non-native components to create new biological functions. Fungal research has also been covered in the ever-expanding synthetic biology. Because of their extensive capacity to produce structurally and functionally diverse natural products, fungi have become a valuable resource for the development of synthetic biology chassis. While the era of fungal synthetic biology began with well-characterized model organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and filamentous fungi, it is rapidly expanding to include non-model fungi. These fungal chassis have already shown potential for applications in the production of enzymes, proteins, chemicals, food additives, therapeutics, and materials. The rapid development of synthetic biology tools will also continue to expand the potential applications of fungi.
What We Can Do
CD Biosynsis has a scientific team with extensive experience in fungal research who are working on the development of fungal synthetic biology toolboxes to accelerate the Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) iteration cycle. Our experts can integrate top-down and bottom-up approaches to provide our customers with ideal fungal chassis for their intended applications.
Applications of Fungal Chassis
CD Biosynsis’ in-depth understanding of characteristics of different fungal strains enables the selection of the most appropriate strains for a dedicated application. Our current strain collection covers a wide range of model and non-model fungal strains and is continuously expanding. Our scientific team is committed to fully exploiting the potential of the model fungi for new applications and to opening up new opportunities for fungal synthetic biology using non-model fungi with unique and versatile metabolisms. The following table lists some of the fungal chassis strains for which we have successfully constructed or are optimizing our synthetic biology strategies.
| Fungal Stains |
Characteristics |
Examples of Applications |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae |
- Capable of rapid growth under simple culture conditions.
- Well-defined genetic background and diverse tools for genetic manipulations.
|
Production of chemicals and biopharmaceuticals (e.g., organic acids, alcohols, fatty acids, and artemisinic acid). |
| Pichia pastoris |
- A well-developed heterologous protein system.
- Capable of using methanol as the sole carbon source.
|
Production of industrial enzymes and high-value chemicals (e.g., glucose oxidase, α-farnesene, 2-phenylethanol, and isobutyl acetate). |
| Hansenula polymorpha |
- Capable of using various carbon sources.
- Capable of growing at temperatures up to 50°C.
|
Production of recombinant proteins (e.g., staphylokinase, ferritin, streptavidin, and lipase). |
| Kluyveromyces lactis |
- Rapid growth and a wide substrate range.
- Capable of growing at temperatures over 50°C.
|
Production of recombinant proteins (e.g., D-amino acid oxidase, α-amylase, and human serum albumin). |
| Yarrowia lipolytica |
- A vast repertoire of synthetic biology tools is available.
- An oleaginous yeast with outstanding metabolic capabilities.
|
Production of chemicals and fuels (e.g., lipids, violacein, and 2-phenylethanol). |
| Aspergillus spp. |
- Capable of using diverse substrates.
- Capable of tolerating extreme physiological conditions.
|
Production of metabolites and bioactive substances (e.g., citric acid, amylases, lovastatin, and succinate). |
| Penicillium chrysogenum |
- Capable of producing a broad range of secondary metabolites.
- Capable of producing β-lactam antibiotics.
|
Production of natural products (e.g., penicillin). |
| Myceliophthora thermophila |
- A large capacity for biomass degradation.
- Capable of growing at elevated temperatures.
|
Production of industrial enzymes (e.g., cellulases, phytases, and xylanases). |
Want to Learn More?
CD Biosynsis has been continuously expanding our synthetic biology toolbox and keeping our knowledge and skills current. We provide full support for our customers' innovations in synthetic biology. If you require any further details, please feel free to contact us and let us know how we can support your new idea or project.
References
- Mattern D J, et al. Synthetic biology of fungal natural products. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2015, 6: 775.
- Wagner J M Alper H S. Synthetic biology and molecular genetics in non-conventional yeasts: current tools and future advances. Fungal Genetics and Biology, 2016, 89: 126-136.
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