Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747, AG, The Netherlands.
Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
Trends Biotechnol. 2024 Sep;42(9):1081-1096. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.03.003. Epub 2024 Apr 4.
Killer yeasts secrete protein toxins that are selectively lethal to other yeast and filamentous fungi. These exhibit exceptional genetic and functional diversity, and have several biotechnological applications. However, despite decades of research, several limitations hinder their widespread adoption. In this perspective we contend that technical advances in synthetic biology present an unprecedented opportunity to unlock the full potential of yeast killer systems across a spectrum of applications. By leveraging these new technologies, engineered killer toxins may emerge as a pivotal new tool to address antifungal resistance and food security. Finally, we speculate on the biotechnological potential of re-engineering host double-stranded (ds) RNA mycoviruses, from which many toxins derive, as a safe and noninfectious system to produce designer RNA.
杀伤性酵母会分泌蛋白毒素，这些毒素对其他酵母和丝状真菌具有选择性致死作用。这些毒素表现出了非凡的遗传和功能多样性，并且具有多种生物技术应用。然而，尽管已经进行了几十年的研究，但仍有一些限制因素阻碍了它们的广泛应用。在这篇观点文章中，我们认为合成生物学的技术进步为在一系列应用中释放酵母杀伤系统的全部潜力提供了前所未有的机会。通过利用这些新技术，工程化的杀伤毒素可能成为应对抗真菌药物耐药性和食品安全问题的关键新工具。最后，我们推测对宿主双链（ds）RNA 真菌病毒进行工程改造的生物技术潜力，许多毒素都来源于这些病毒，将其作为一种安全且非感染性的系统来产生设计的 RNA。
