Recent Advances in High-Throughput Genetics in Fungi

Large-scale genetic screens deal with two competing challenges: generating mutants and mapping them. Traditional forward and reverse genetics each solve one problem but not the other. Recent innovations in sequencing-coupled genetic approaches have enabled solutions that help to solve both issues, either by rapidly mapping random mutants (TN-seq) or by generating targeted mutants at extremely high frequencies (CRISPR). In this review, we will discuss advances in high-throughput genetic screens in fungi, starting with arrayed mutant libraries and insertional mutagenesis before moving on to discuss the recent developments in sequencing-coupled TN-seq and CRISPR-based approaches. Finally, we will discuss two other useful approaches that can be coupled with these new approaches: knockout Sudoku and RH-seq. Taken together, these approaches have the potential to drive more rapid exploration of fungal biology.