In the synthetic biology era, engineered fungi could mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and enhance environmental resilience
Abstract
Over the past two decades, there has been a staggering increase in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) from unrestrained anthropogenic activities, leading to notable environmental shifts. Despite continuous efforts to reduce emissions, the world is not making satisfactory progress, which calls for immediate action to implement alternative strategies to enhance environmental sustainability. The Earth naturally absorbs and stores carbon through various processes, but merely keeping pace with ongoing human activities is no longer sufficient. Land plants and marine prokaryotes absorb CO ₂ during photosynthesis and store carbon as biomass. Eukaryotic organisms also represent a valuable resource that can provide insights into the biological fixation and removal of atmospheric CO ₂ . Expanding the capacities of Earth’s natural systems offers enormous potential for enhancing carbon sinks and promoting environmental resilience. Although extensive synthetic engineering of plant systems has been conducted to enhance their native carbon fixation pathways, research on microorganisms, especially fungi, has been limited. In this review, we specifically explore the role of soil-borne fungi in carbon management, elucidating their responses to environmental shifts and their potential for climate change mitigation. We place particular emphasis on the role of various fungal guilds in this process, highlighting those that should be prioritized for future synthetic biology applications. We then engage with previous endeavors to address primary challenges in advancing genetic tools for these understudied fungi. Lastly, we discuss how integrating synthetic biology practices into the field of soil-associated fungi can drive advances in long-term carbon storage, enhance degradation of environmental pollutants, and improve nutrient exchange and soil health, contributing to more resilient soil ecosystems and sustainable environmental interventions. Rising carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are driving environmental change and increasing the need for strategies that strengthen natural carbon sinks and ecosystem resilience. While plants and microorganisms play important roles in carbon capture and storage, the potential of soil-associated fungi remains comparatively underexplored, particularly from a synthetic biology perspective. In this Review, we examine the roles of soil-borne fungi in carbon management, their responses to environmental change, and their potential contributions to climate change mitigation. We highlight key fungal guilds that could be prioritized for future synthetic biology applications and discuss current challenges in developing genetic tools for understudied fungi. Finally, we explore how engineering soil-associated fungi could support long-term carbon storage while providing broader environmental benefits, including pollutant degradation, nutrient exchange, and improved soil health. Together, these opportunities position fungal synthetic biology as a promising approach for developing more resilient soil ecosystems and sustainable environmental interventions.
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BibTeX
@article{davis2026synthetic,
title = {{In the synthetic biology era, engineered fungi could mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and enhance environmental resilience}},
author = {Kyle Davis and Joanna Tannous},
journal = {Communications Earth \& Environment},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s43247-026-04088-5},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-04088-5},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - In the synthetic biology era, engineered fungi could mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and enhance environmental resilience
AU - Kyle Davis
AU - Joanna Tannous
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Communications Earth & Environment
DO - 10.1038/s43247-026-04088-5
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-04088-5
AB - Over the past two decades, there has been a staggering increase in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) from unrestrained anthropogenic activities, leading to notable environmental shifts. Despite continuous efforts to reduce emissions, the world is not making satisfactory progress, which calls for immediate action to implement alternative strategies to enhance environmental sustainability. The Earth naturally absorbs and stores carbon through various processes, but merely keeping pace with ongoing human activities is no longer sufficient. Land plants and marine prokaryotes absorb CO ₂ during photosynthesis and store carbon as biomass. Eukaryotic organisms also represent a valuable resource that can provide insights into the biological fixation and removal of atmospheric CO ₂ . Expanding the capacities of Earth’s natural systems offers enormous potential for enhancing carbon sinks and promoting environmental resilience. Although extensive synthetic engineering of plant systems has been conducted to enhance their native carbon fixation pathways, research on microorganisms, especially fungi, has been limited. In this review, we specifically explore the role of soil-borne fungi in carbon management, elucidating their responses to environmental shifts and their potential for climate change mitigation. We place particular emphasis on the role of various fungal guilds in this process, highlighting those that should be prioritized for future synthetic biology applications. We then engage with previous endeavors to address primary challenges in advancing genetic tools for these understudied fungi. Lastly, we discuss how integrating synthetic biology practices into the field of soil-associated fungi can drive advances in long-term carbon storage, enhance degradation of environmental pollutants, and improve nutrient exchange and soil health, contributing to more resilient soil ecosystems and sustainable environmental interventions. Rising carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are driving environmental change and increasing the need for strategies that strengthen natural carbon sinks and ecosystem resilience. While plants and microorganisms play important roles in carbon capture and storage, the potential of soil-associated fungi remains comparatively underexplored, particularly from a synthetic biology perspective. In this Review, we examine the roles of soil-borne fungi in carbon management, their responses to environmental change, and their potential contributions to climate change mitigation. We highlight key fungal guilds that could be prioritized for future synthetic biology applications and discuss current challenges in developing genetic tools for understudied fungi. Finally, we explore how engineering soil-associated fungi could support long-term carbon storage while providing broader environmental benefits, including pollutant degradation, nutrient exchange, and improved soil health. Together, these opportunities position fungal synthetic biology as a promising approach for developing more resilient soil ecosystems and sustainable environmental interventions.
SN - 2662-4435
ER -