Filamentous fungi for the production of enzymes, chemicals and materials

• Fungi can be used as a cell factory and for production of mycelium materials. • Monofungal and mixed fungal cultures produce different profiles of secreted molecules. • (A)sexual development is a target to improve fungal production strains. • Single-cell and bulked sample analysis can be used to improve production strains. Filamentous fungi have been used for more than a century as versatile and highly productive cell factories. They are used to produce enzymes and small molecule compounds such as antibiotics and organic acids. Filamentous fungi are now also being explored for the production of sustainable materials that can for instance replace plastics. Mutagenesis and genetic modification are used to improve performance of production strains. Single cell technologies and bulk sample analysis are novel strategies to identify genes that can be used for genetic modification of production strains. Such genes may for instance be involved in fungal reproduction and hyphal heterogeneity. These differentiation processes have recently been implicated to affect production of enzymes and small molecule compounds. Finally, use of mixed cultures instead of monocultures can be a strategy to improve production processes.