[Grand Challenges in Biology and Biotechnology] Grand Challenges in Fungal Biotechnology ||

This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the major applications and potential of fungal biotechnology. The respective chapters report on the latest advances and opportunities in each topic area, proposing new and sustainable solutions to some of the major challenges faced by modern society. Aimed at researchers and biotechnologists in academia and industry, it represents essential reading for anyone interested in fungal biotechnology, as well as those working within the broader area of microbial biotechnology. Written in an accessible language, the book also offers a valuable reference resource for decision-makers in government and at non-governmental organizations who are involved in the development of cleaner technologies and the global bioeconomy. The 21st century is characterized by a number of critical challenges in terms of human health, developing a sustainable bioeconomy, facilitating agricultural production, and establishing practices that support a cleaner environment. While there are chemical solutions to some of these challenges, developing bio-based approaches is becoming increasingly important. Filamentous fungi, ‘the forgotten kingdom,’ are a group of unique organisms whose full potential has yet to be revealed. Some key properties, such as their exceptional capacity to secrete proteins into the external environment, have already been successfully harnessed for the production of industrial enzymes and cellulosic biofuels. Many further aspects discussed here –such as feeding the hungry with fungal protein, and the potential applications of the various small molecules produced by fungi –warrant further exploration. In turn, the book covers the use of fungal cell factories to produce foreign molecules, e.g. for therapeutics. Strategies including molecular approaches to strain improvement, and recent advances in high-throughput technologies, which are key to finding better products and producers, are also addressed. Lastly, the book discusses the advent of synthetic biology, which is destined to greatly expand the scope of fungal biotechnology. The chapter “Fungal Biotechnology in Space: Why and How?” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License at link.springer.com. Preface Contents Part I: Fungal Biotechnology and the Global Challenges Chapter 1: Fungal Biotechnology: Unlocking the Full Potential of Fungi for a More Sustainable World 1 Introduction 2 New Tools and Technologies: Making It Possible to Do More 3 Learning from Nature 4 Global Challenges Where Fungi Can Contribute to Solutions 4.1 Climate Change: The Role of Fungi in Mitigation and Adaptation 4.1.1 Fungal Enzymes 4.1.2 Significant Reduction of CO2 Emissions per Ton Food and Feed Produced 4.1.3 Significant Reduction of Methane Emissions 4.1.4 Improved Resource Efficiency Can Free Land for Forestry and Biodiversity 4.1.5 Using Misplaced Carbon Resources to Produce Single-Cell Protein 4.1.6 New Fungal Products Are Instrumental for Climate Change Adaptation 4.1.7 Understanding the Threat of Loss of Biodiversity Due to Global Warming 4.2 Feeding a Rapidly Growing Global Population 4.2.1 Using the Biological Resources More Efficiently 4.2.2 Develop, Recover and Refine Local Protein Resources 4.2.3 Gut-Health-Promoting Food Ingredients and Animal Feed Additives 4.2.4 Strengthening Human Health Through Fermented Food 4.2.5 Mushrooms and Tasty Climate-Friendly Food from Coffee Grounds 4.2.6 Upgrading Keratinaceous Biomass Using Fungal Enzymes 4.3 The Important Role of Fungi for Improved Health 4.3.1 Mycotoxins and Discovery of New Fungal-Based Drugs 4.3.2 Biological Plant Protection as a Substitute for Chemical Pesticides? 4.3.3 Purifying Water by a Fungal-Derived Membrane-Bound Protein 4.3.4 New Ways of Controlling Fungal Diseases in Man and Animals 5 Future Perspectives 5.1 Perspectives for Fungal Biotechnology Developments Needed for Unlocking the Full Potentials of Fungi 5.2 Perspectives for What Fungi Can Do for a Better World 5.3 Perspectives for Communication and Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration References Chapter 2: Fungal Attack on Environmental Pollutants Representing Poor Microbial Growth Substrates 1 Introduction 1.1 Pollutants Occurring in Only Trace Concentrations 1.2 ``Classical ́ ́ Environmental Pollutants with Poor Bioavailability 1.3 Plastics 2 Fungal Pollutant Breakdown 2.1 Extracellular Attack on Pollutants 2.2 Cell-Bound Activities Involved in Pollutant Degradation 3 Conclusions and Outlook References Chapter 3: The Biotechnology of Quorn Mycoprotein: Past, Present and Future Challenges 1 Introduction 2 Quorn: A Historical Perspective 2.1 The Search for an Organism 2.2 Development of a Commercial Product 3 The Present 3.1 Development of an Industrial Biotechnology Process 3.2 Biotechnology Issues of the Modern Fermentation Process 3.2.1 Carbon Source 3.2.2 Nucleic Acid Levels 3.2.3 Morphological Variants 3.2.4 Mycotoxin Production 3.3 Future Biotechnology Research Challenges 4 Conclusions References Chapter 4: The Current Biotechnological Status and Potential of Plant and Algal Biomass Degrading/Modifying Enzymes from Ascom... 1 Introduction 2 Applications of Fungal Plant Biomass Degrading and Modifying Enzymes 2.1 Applications in Food and Feed Production 2.1.1 Bread and Baking 2.1.2 Juice Clarification 2.1.3 Modification of Pectin in Jams 2.1.4 Production of Wine/Beer/Beverages 2.1.5 Animal Feed 2.1.6 Tea and Coffee 2.1.7 Prebiotics 2.2 Applications in Paper and Pulp Production 2.3 Applications in Production of Biofuels and Biochemicals 2.4 Other Applications 3 Applications of Fungal Algal Biomass Degrading and Modifying Enzymes 3.1 Applications of Red Seaweed Degrading and Modifying Enzymes 3.2 Applications of Brown Seaweed Degrading and Modifying Enzymes 3.3 Applications of Green Seaweed Degrading and Modifying Enzymes 4 Conclusions and Future Prospects References Part II: Developments in Key Enabling Technologies Chapter 5: Genetic Transformation of Filamentous Fungi: Achievements and Challenges 1 Introduction 2 Prerequisites for the Genetic Transformation of Fungi 2.1 Transforming DNA 2.2 Generation of Competent Cells 2.2.1 Natural Competency 2.2.2 Generation of Competent Cells by Washing and Chemical Treatment 2.2.3 Generation of Competent Cells with Cell Wall Degrading Enzymes 2.2.4 Natural Factors That Influence Protoplasting 2.2.5 Generation of Competent Cells by Natural Swelling 2.2.6 Generation of Competent Cells from Conidial Germlings 2.3 Delivery Mechanism into the Cytoplasm 2.4 Traffic Through the Cytoplasm and into the Nucleus 2.5 Integration and Expression of the Transformed Genetic Information 2.5.1 Autonomously Replicating Plasmids 2.5.2 Random or Targeted Integration into the Genome 2.6 Recovery, Selection and Isolation of Transformants 2.6.1 Transformant Recovery 2.6.2 Transformant Selection with Resistance and Nutritional Marker Genes 2.6.3 Transformant Isolation 3 Technical Approaches for the Genetic Transformation of Fungi 3.1 PEG/CaCl2-Mediated Protoplast Transformation 3.2 Electrotransformation 3.2.1 Basic Biophysics of Electroporation 3.2.2 Determining the Critical TMV for Successful Electroporation 3.3 Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation (AMT) 3.3.1 The Pros and Cons of AMT 3.3.2 The Application Range of AMT in Filamentous Fungi 3.4 Biolistic Transformation 3.5 Transformation Using Shock Waves 4 Strategies to Facilitate and Further Improve Fungal Transformations 4.1 Stock-Keeping of Competent Cells 4.2 Improving Homologous Recombination 4.3 Pharmacological Inhibition of NHEJ 4.4 Split-Marker Systems to Increase the Chances of Targeted Integration 4.5 Genome Editing Tools 5 Concluding Remarks and Outlook References Chapter 6: Bottlenecks and Future Outlooks for High-Throughput Technologies for Filamentous Fungi 1 Introduction 1.1 Why Do We Need HTP Technologies for Filamentous Fungi 1.1.1 Why Are High-Throughput Technologies Important for Academic Use? 2 Filamentous Fungal Molecular Biology: Where Are We Now 2.1 Morphological Challenges 2.1.1 Colony Picking 2.1.2 Liquid Handling 2.1.3 Screening 2.1.4 Heterokaryons 3 State of the Art 3.1 State-of-the-Art Current High-Throughput Technologies for Other Organisms 3.1.1 High-Throughput Versus High-Output 3.1.2 High-Throughput Screening (HTS) Versus High-Content Screening (HCS) 4 Data Management and Analysis in High-Throughput Processes 4.1 Nonnumerical Data Types 4.2 Reproducibility, Pipeline Development, and Database Fractionation 5 Hypothetical Future and Conclusion References Chapter 7: Strategies and Challenges for the Development of Industrial Enzymes Using Fungal Cell Factories 1 The Industrial Enzyme Market 2 Enzymes Used in Food Products: New Solutions to Old and New Problems 2.1 Asparaginase for Acrylamide Reduction in Processed Food 2.2 Lipase for the Removal of Unsaturated Fatty Acids 3 A Survey of Innovation in the Field of Biotechnological Production 4 Fungal Expression Systems and Optimization for Enzyme Production 4.1 How to Choose the Best Fungal Host Species for Industrial Enzyme Production 4.2 A Generic Fermentation Process for Enzyme Production in Fungal Hosts 4.3 Strategies for the Optimization of Enzyme Yields 4.3.1 Maximizing Transcription of the Enzyme Gene of Interest 4.3.2 Optimization of Protein Secretion: Still a Black Box 4.3.3 Improving Protein Quality and Stability 4.3.4 Modification of Other Important Features of the Host 4.4 Genome Editing as a Revolutionizing Tool for Production Strain Development 4.5 Automated Strain Construction, Systems Biology, and Synthetic Biology Approaches 4.6 The Evolution of Methods for Construction of Production Strains to Adapt to Regulatory Requirements 5 Environmental Aspects of the Yield Improvement in Industrial Recombinant Enzyme Production 6 Approval of Enzymes for Use as Food Processing Aids and in Feed Applications 6.1 Regulatory Considerations for the Approval of Recombinant Food Aids and Feed Enzymes in the European Union 6.2 Regulatory Considerations for the Approval of Recombinant Food Aids and Feed Enzymes in the US 6.3 Evolution of Regulatory Requirements in the Rest of the World 7 The Future of Industrial Enzyme Production in Fungal Hosts References Chapter 8: Meeting a Challenge: A View on Studying Transcriptional Control of Genes Involved in Plant Biomass Degradation in A... 1 Introduction 2 Functional Genomics Approaches 2.1 Genome Sequencing Technologies 2.2 Methods to Genetically Identify Mutant Genes from Forward Genetic Screens 2.2.1 Genetic Linkage Analysis-Based Methods 2.2.2 Complementation Analysis-Based Methods 2.2.3 Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Methods 2.3 Genomics-Based Functional Analysis of Regulatory Genes 2.3.1 NHEJ Mutants Combined with the Split Marker Approach 2.3.2 CRISPR-Cas9 Approaches 2.3.3 Overexpression Analysis 3 Transcriptomics and Related Technologies to Study Regulatory Networks 3.1 First-Generation Genome-Wide Transcriptome Analysis: Microarrays 3.2 RNA-Seq 3.3 ChIP-Seq Analysis 4 Regulation of Gene Expression for Pectin Utilization in A. niger 4.1 Pectin 4.2 Degradation of Pectin by A. niger 4.3 State of the Art of Understanding the Regulation of Pectinolytic Genes 5 Outlook References Part III: Towards Bioeconomy: Potential of Fungal Biotechnology Chapter 9: The Economic Potential of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Agriculture 1 Introduction 1.1 Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture 1.2 Biofertilizers 1.3 Applications of Fungi in Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture 1.4 AMF-Induced Yield Enhancements 1.4.1 Crop Cultivar and Variety-Specific Responsiveness to AMF 1.4.2 Product Type, Application Rates, and Methods Influencing Crop Yield Responses to AMF 1.5 Beneficial Fungi and Abiotic Stress 1.6 Beneficial Fungi and Biotic Stress 1.7 The Role of Mycorrhizae in Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture 1.7.1 Evolution and History 1.7.2 Compatibility with Cultivation Methods and Products 2 The Mycorrhizal Marketplace 2.1 Defining Mycorrhizal Technology 2.2 Global Biofertilizer Market: A Snapshot 2.3 Mycorrhizal Technology Potential per Territory 2.4 Mycorrhizal Technology Market Segments 2.4.1 Hobby Garden Sector 2.4.2 Horticulture and Commercial Nurseries 2.4.3 Forestry and Landscaping 2.4.4 Revegetation and Remediation 2.4.5 Agricultural Market Opportunities in Developed and Developing Regions 2.5 Mycorrhizal Fungi Technology Potential per Crop 3 Business Strategies of Successful Mycorrhizae Companies 3.1 Adoption of New Agricultural Technology 3.2 Understanding Mycorrhizal Inoculant Formulation Advantages/Disadvantages 4 Mycorrhizal Techno-Economic Analyses 4.1 Grower Business Model and Return on Investment 4.1.1 Cassava and Mycorrhiza Case Study 4.1.2 Peppers and Mycorrhiza Case Study 4.1.3 Soybean and Mycorrhiza Case Study 5 Challenges in Registration and Regulation of Agricultural-Based Fungi Applications 5.1 Mycorrhizal Registration Features 5.2 Regulation of Mycorrhizal Products 5.3 Conflicting Definitions of Mycorrhizae in the Regulatory Sphere 6 Challenges of New Mycorrhizal Ventures 6.1 Market Demonstration and Education of Public and Target Market 6.2 Acknowledgment of Consumer Considerations in Product Selection 6.3 Wallet Share and Competition 7 Conclusions References Chapter 10: Molecular and Genetic Strategies for Enhanced Production of Heterologous Lignocellulosic Enzymes 1 Filamentous Fungi as Expression Hosts 2 Lignocellulosic Biomass 3 Cellulases 4 Lignin-Modifying Enzymes (LME) 5 Engineering Strategies for Improving Heterologous Protein Production 5.1 Remodeling the Gene: Codon Optimization 5.2 Remodeling the Protein: Signal Peptide and Carrier Protein 5.3 Remodeling the Host: Secretory Pathway 5.4 Remodeling the Host: ERAD and UPR 5.5 Remodeling the Host: Glycosylation 5.6 Remodeling the Host: Proteases 6 New Tools and Approaches for Strain Engineering: Systems Biology 6.1 Genomics and Transcriptomics 6.2 Proteomics 7 New Tools and Approaches for Strain Engineering: Synthetic Biology 7.1 CRISPR 7.2 Tunable Promoters 7.3 Polycistronic Gene Expression 7.4 Flow Cytometry 8 Conclusion References Part IV: Branching Out: Emerging Opportunities Chapter 11: Horizontal Gene Transfer in Fungi 1 Introduction 2 Modes of Horizontal Gene Transfer 2.1 Phenotypic Transfer 2.2 Lineage-Specific Genes by Whole Genome Sequencing 2.3 Secondary Metabolite Clusters 2.4 Horizontal Gene Transfers Vary in Size 3 DNA Uptake Transformation Processes Related to HGT 4 Conclusions and Future Directions References Chapter 12: Spotlight on Class I Hydrophobins: Their Intriguing Biochemical Properties and Industrial Prospects 1 Introduction 2 Hydrophobin Structures and Functions 3 HPB Self-Assembly Mechanisms 4 Hydrophobin Applications 4.1 Analytical and Biosensing Applications 4.2 Textile and Biomedical Applications 4.3 Microelectronics 4.4 Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Food References Chapter 13: An Aroma Odyssey: The Promise of Volatile Fungal Metabolites in Biotechnology 1 Introduction and Circumscription 1.1 Biological Volatiles 1.2 Volatome 2 Biofuels 2.1 Fungal Enzymes for Degradation of Feedstock 2.2 Biodiesel 3 Fumigation 3.1 Mycofumigation 3.2 Chemically Defined VOCs 3.3 Green Leaf Volatiles 4 Plant Growth Promotion and Biocontrol 5 Summary and Conclusions References Chapter 14: Fungal Peroxygenases: A Phylogenetically Old Superfamily of Heme Enzymes with Promiscuity for Oxygen Transfer Reac... 1 Introduction 2 Physiology of UPOs 3 Occurrence, Phylogeny and Genomic Organization 4 UPO Structure 5 Reaction Cycle 6 Substrate Spectrum and Reaction Types 7 Conclusions and Outlook References Chapter 15: Progress and Research Needs of Plant Biomass Degradation by Basidiomycete Fungi 1 Introduction 2 Plant Cell Wall Polymers 3 Life Styles of Plant Biomass-Converting Basidiomycetes 4 Plant Biomass-Modifying Enzymes of Basidiomycetes 4.1 Carbohydrate-Modifying Enzymes 4.2 Lignin-Modifying Enzymes 4.3 Intracellular Aromatic Converting Enzymes 5 Current Status of Basidiomycete Genomics 6 Post-genomic Analyses of Basidiomycetes 7 Challenges in Basidiomycete Research 7.1 Regulation of Plant Biomass Conversion-Related Enzyme Production 7.2 Transformation Systems 7.3 Application of CRISPR/Cas9 in Basidiomycetes 8 Concluding Remarks and Future Perspectives References Chapter 16: TCA Cycle Organic Acids Produced by Filamentous Fungi: The Building Blocks of the Future 1 Introduction 1.1 Sustainability and Biotechnology 1.2 Novel Technologies for Biological Production of Bulk Chemicals 1.3 The Organic Acids from the TCA Cycle of Economic Importance 2 Citric Acid 2.1 Characteristics and Uses 2.2 Production Conditions 2.3 The Optimal Medium and Environmental Conditions for Citric Acid Accumulation 2.4 Mechanism of Formation 2.5 Methods to Improve Citric Acid Concentration and Productivity 3 C4-Dicarboxylic Acids 3.1 Succinic Acid 3.1.1 Short History 3.1.2 Characteristics and Uses 3.1.3 Commercial Entities Producing Succinic Acid 3.1.4 Attempts to Use Filamentous Fungi for Manufacture of Succinic Acid 3.1.5 Production Conditions 3.1.6 Mechanism of Formation 3.1.7 Future Directions for Succinic Acid Manufacture 3.2 Malic Acid 3.2.1 Characteristics and Uses 3.2.2 Production of Malic Acid 3.2.3 Attempts to Improve Accumulation of Malic Acid 3.2.4 The Routes of l-Malic Acid Accumulation 3.3 Fumaric Acid 3.3.1 Characteristics and Uses 3.3.2 Production 3.3.3 Mechanism of Accumulation 3.3.4 Use of Metabolic Engineering and Other Novel Technologies to Improve Fumarate Accumulation 3.3.5 Unconventional Carbon Sources 4 Future Directions 4.1 Inherent Limitations of Biology and Feedstock 4.2 Considerations to Improve Production 4.3 Another Possibility: The Understudied Anaerobic Processes 5 Conclusions References Chapter 17: Opportunities for New-Generation Ganoderma boninense Biotechnology 1 Introduction 1.1 Ganoderma 1.2 The Ganoderma boninense-Oil Palm Pathosystem 1.3 Lignin-Degrading Ganoderma boninense 1.3.1 Lignin and Other Degrading Enzymes: Strategies Towards BSR Control 1.4 Relevant Oil Palm Chemical Constituents 1.4.1 Ganoderma boninense: Oil Palm Degrading Enzymes 1.4.2 Utilization of Oil Palm Constituents by Ganoderma boninense 1.5 Biotechnology of Lignocellulose in Understanding Basal Stem Rot 1.6 Biotechnological Approaches in Understanding Ganoderma Basal Stem Rot and Novel Control Strategies 1.6.1 Ganoderma boninense Genome and Transcriptome Data 1.6.2 Genetic Transformation of Ganoderma boninense 1.6.3 RNA Silencing in Fungi 1.6.4 Bidirectional Cross-Kingdom RNA Silencing 1.6.5 RNAi as an Efficient Tool for Functional Genomics Study in Basidiomycota and Ganoderma boninense 1.6.6 RNAi as a Tool for Potential Crop Protection Strategy Against Diseases Caused by Basidiomycota and Ganoderma boninense 1.6.7 CRISPR/Cas Systems 1.6.8 CRISPR/Cas9 as an Efficient Tool for Functional Genomics Study and Potential Sustainable Crop Protection Strategy Agains... 2 Conclusion References Chapter 18: Fungal Biotechnology in Space: Why and How? 1 Introduction 2 A Historical Perspective 2.1 Early 1970s-Mid-1980s: Exposing Living Systems and Searching for Effects 2.2 Mid-1980s-Mid-1990s: Discovery and Characterization of Cellular Processes 2.3 Mid-1990s-Early 2000s: Microgravity as a Research Topic for Biology and Biotechnology 2.4 Early 2000s-Onwards: The International Space Station as a Research Laboratory 3 Fungal Biotechnology on Earth 3.1 Application Potentials of Fungal Biotechnology: A Brief Survey 3.2 Aspergillus niger, the Pioneer of Modern Fungal Biotechnology 4 Future Challenges in Fungal Space Biotechnology 4.1 Fungi in the Space Environment 4.2 Designing Microbial Spaceflight Experiments 4.3 Cultivation Hardware for Simulated and Real Microgravity 4.3.1 Simulated Microgravity 4.3.2 Real Microgravity 4.4 Life-Support Systems and High-Throughput Research 5 Sustainability in Spaceflight: Lessons Learned from Aviation 6 Conclusion References This Volume Provides A Comprehensive Overview Of How Fungal Biotechnology Finds Applications In Industry, The Environment And In Our Everyday Lives. It Also Introduces Consortia And Projects That Develop This Branch Of White Biotechnology And Explores Its Economic Potential. The Chapters Highlight The Scope Of The Applications Of Fungal Biotechnology And Provide Up-to-date Reports On The Recent Advances And Opportunities In Each Topic Area, Presenting New And Sustainable Solutions To Some Of The Major Challenges Faced By Society. Aimed At Research Scientists And Biotechnologists In Academia And Industry, It Is Essential Reading For Anyone Interested In Fungal Biotechnology As Well As Those Working Within The Broader Area Of Microbial Biotechnology. Written In An Accessible Language, The Book Is Also A Valuable Reference Resource For Decision-makers In Government And Non-governmental Organizations Involved In The Development Of Cleaner Technologies And The Global Bioeconomy. In The 21st Century, There Are A Number Of Challenges In The Areas Of Health, Developing Sustainable Bioeconomy, Facilitating Agricultural Production And Establishing Practices That Support A Cleaner Environment. While There Are Chemical Solutions To Some Of These Challenges, Finding Solutions Based On Lessons Learned From Nature Is Becoming Increasingly Important. Filamentous Fungi, Which Have Been Called ‘the Forgotten Kingdom’, Are A Group Of Organisms, Whose Full Potential Is Yet To Be Discovered. Some Of Their Properties, Such As The Extraordinary Capacity To Secrete Enzymes Into The External Environment Have Been Harnessed For The Production Of Industrial Enzymes And For Purposes Like Hydrolysis Of Cellulosic Biomass For Biofuel Production. Using Fungal Synthesis To Produce Therapeutic Molecules Is Still In The Pipeline. This Book Discusses Strategies Including High-throughput Screening, Automation And Miniaturization, Which Are Key To Utilizing This Process. It Also Explores The Solutions That Nature Has Developed To Cope With Challenging Biochemical Problems Provide Inspiration For Further Innovations In Areas Like Industrial Processing Technologies, Food Security And Environmental Protection. The Growing Interest In Developing Fungal Biotechnology, Especially In Europe, Is Reflected By The Number Of Consortia Dedicated To Developing This Field. Chapter Aspergillus Niger: The First Steps Towards Space Biotechnology Is Available Open Access Under A Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Via Link.springer.com. Part 1: Fungal Biotechnology and the Global Challenges -- Chapter 1: Fungal Biotechnology: Unlocking the Full Potential of Fungi for a More Sustainable World -- Chapter 2: Fungal Attack on Environmental Pollutants Representing Poor Microbial Growth Substrates -- Chapter 3: The Biotechnology of Quorn Mycoprotein: Past, Present and Future Challenges -- Chapter 4: The Current Biotechnological Status and Potential of Plant and Algal Biomass Degrading/Modifying Enzymes from Ascomycete Fungi -- Part 2: Developments in Key Enabling Technologies -- Chapter 5: Genetic Transformation of Filamentous Fungi: Achievements and Challenges -- Chapter 6: Bottlenecks and Future Outlooks for High-Throughput Technologies for Filamentous Fungi -- Chapter 7: Strategies and Challenges for the Development of Industrial Enzymes Using Fungal Cell Factories -- Chapter 8: Meeting a Challenge: A View on Studying Transcriptional Control of Genes Involved Plant Biomass Degradation in Aspergillus niger -- Part 3: Towards Bioeconomy-Potential of Fungal Biotechnology -- Chapter 9: The Economic Potential of ArbuscularFungal Biotechnology in Agriculture -- Chapter 10: Molecular and Genetic Strategies for Enhanced Production of Heterologous LignocellulosicEnzymes -- Part 4: Branching Out -- Emerging Opportunities -- Chapter 11: Horizontal Gene Transfer in Fungi -- Chapter 12: Spotlight on Class I Hydrophobins: Their IntriguingBiochemical Properties and Industrial Prospects -- Chapter 13: An Aroma Odyssey: The Promise of Volatile Fungal Metabolites in Biotechnology -- Chapter 14: Fungal Peroxygenases: A Phylogenetically Old Superfamily of Heme Enzymes with Promiscuity for Oxygen Transfer Reactions -- Chapter 15: Progress and Research Needs of Plant Biomass Degradation by Basidiomycete Fungi -- Chapter 16: Organic Acids in the TCA Cycle: The Building Blocks of the Future -- Chapter 17: Opportunities for New Generation Ganodermaboninense Biotechnology -- Chapter 18: Fungal Biotechnology in Space: Why and How?