Fungus Food: CRISPR turns a simple fungus into a meatlike protein with a smaller environmental footprint

    As the demand for sustainable food continues to increase, scientists are exploring alternatives to traditional animal proteins (which currently amount for nearly 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions). Mycoprotein, developed from fungi, has come to be a promising solution due to its meat-like texture and smaller environmental impact. One of the leading sources, Fusarium venenatum, is already approved for consumption in several countries. However, its thick cell walls make it difficult to digest in addition to it being costly to produce.

    To address these challenges, researchers at Jiangnan University in China used CRISPR gene-editing technology to improve both the nutritional value and efficiency of Fusarium venenatum. By taking away two specific genes related to chitin production and metabolism, they created a new strain titled FCPD. The thinner cell wall significantly improved digestibility, while metabolic changes allowed the fungus to produce protein much more efficiently. As a result, the modified strain used 44% less sugar and produced the same amount of protein 88% faster than the original version. There was also no foreign DNA introduced.

                                                                        Picture of Fusarium venenatum.

    Past improving efficiency, the environmental benefits of FCPD were dramatic. A full life-cycle analysis across six countries with different energy systems showed that FCPD consistently produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional mycoprotein, with reductions of about 60%. In comparison to animal protein, the results were even more striking: FCPD needed 70% less land and caused 78% less freshwater pollution than chicken production in China. This breakthrough highlights how gene-edited foods could play a major role in feeding an increasing global population while crucially reducing strain on the planet.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251121082049.htm 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/fusarium-venenatum 

Gut Microbiome Affected by Genetics More Than Once Thought

 

Our gut microbiome is made up of microorganisms that live within our digestive tract and ensure the proper function of it. While our lifestyle and diet has a large impact on the health of it, a new study shows that genetics can also play a large role. Researchers studied baboons for over fourteen years in Kenya's Amboseli National Park and looked at over sixteen thousand gut profiles. What they found was that up to 97% of gut microbiome phenotypes were heritable. This is in contrast to older studies that found only 5 to 13% were heritable. This stark difference is likely due to older studies only focusing on profiles at one point in time and not across time. While researchers did find more connection to genetics with gut health, they also found that environmental factors such as weather and age also had a big influence on the gut. Finding this connection between genetics and the gut microbiome can be very useful in the future in order to help shape treatments for people with gut problems.

 

Article - https://www.genengnews.com/news/gut-microbiome-affected-by-genetics-more-than-once-thought/

Study -  https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6551/181

 

Gene Theft by Beetle Threatens Coffee

Coffee borer beetle and larvae in coffee berry.

The coffee berry borer beetle, only a few millimeters in size, has the ability to ruin an entire coffee crop. This beetle causes crop losses up to half a billion dollars, and as climates warm this destruction is only expected to rise. How can this beetle do cause this damage? The beetles lay their eggs inside of coffee berries, and the larvae emerge to only eat the coffee berries. However, these berries are made of complex carbohydrates which can be difficult to digest. Ricardo Acuña discovered that the coffee berry borer beetles have taken a gene, HhMAN1, and utilizes it to  digest the complex carbohydrate in the coffee berries.

The gene HhMAN1 is found in the beetle genome surrounded by transposons. The theory presented states that these "jumping genes" may have been brought in from bacterial DNA from the beetle's gut in the first place. This theory is further plausible because no other closely related beetle species have this HhMAN1 gene. The presence of this carbohydrate digesting gene allowed the beetle to move about the globe and bring coffee plant destruction with it. 

Understanding the genes that function in the beetle to allow for the destruction of coffee is key to managing for the invasive species. If we are able to hinder or alter the function of the gene in the beetles, causing them to be unable to digest the complex carbohydrate in the coffee berries, we could save millions of dollars in coffee crops and prevent the further spread of an invasive species.