Engineering recombination machinery facilitates the construction of yeast cell factories

Advances in genome editing have been promoted by programmable nucleases like CRISPR-Cas9, which triggers endogenous DNA repair mechanisms by inducing double-strand break (DSB). Cellular responses to DSBs are governed by competing repair pathways: error-prone non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and high-fidelity homologous recombination (HR). This review systematically compares the molecular mechanisms and key regulators of NHEJ and HR, with a focus on recent breakthroughs in recombination engineering in non-conventional yeasts. These advances address challenges in precise genome editing, enabling robust metabolic engineering of yeast cell factories for sustainable bioproduction.