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 

Lizard-like tuatara carry two distinct mitochondrial genomes

 

Lizard-like species tuatara has two distinct mitochondrial genomes. This revelation was reported recently in January 2021. Tuataras genomes are a very important discovery in nature today as they are the first vertebrate species that are found to have multiple copies of mitochondrial genomes. Mitochondria are tiny energy factories, and their genetic material is usually important in building the structures and keeping them running. Mitochondrial is essential in the development of aging, cancer, and many other biological diseases. 

Finding animals and other species that carry additional mitochondrial genomes can help advance the research of finding cures and diseases that stem from mitochondrial DNA. By studying animals' mitochondrial genomes, we may potentially be one step closer fully understanding how some human diseases work. Efforts to decode the tuatara’s genetic makeup began in 2012, with the launch of the Tuatara Genome Project led by Neil Gemmell, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. His team discovered that the tuatara genome is 50 percent larger than the human genome. This led to a deeper exploration of the mitochondrial part of the genome which is where they discover that this species has two mt- genomes. The discovery raised concerns since mitochondrial DNA is usually inherited only from a mother’s egg, so the scientists expected to see a single copy of the mitochondrial genome, not two copies like they would see in nuclear DNA, which is inherited from both the mother and father. They believe that the purpose of the two mt- genomes are to provide flexibility in how their metabolisms respond to temperature extremes. This finding of the genetic basis for the animal’s metabolic feats can eventually help explain the mitochondrial genome’s function which will then help find treatments for human metabolic diseases. It is wild to me to think that a species can carry two distinct genomes.

Links

1. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lizard-like-tuatara-mitochondrial-genomes-cold-tolerance

2.https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/tuataras-two-sets-of-mitochondrial-genome-may-help-it-withstand-cold-temperatures-better/#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20discovered%20that%20the,adaptive%20advantage%20to%20harsher%20weather