A genome-editing tool to engineer gut microbes of Black soldier fly larvae

What? Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are renowned for their ability to convert low-quality waste products to high-quality protein used as food and animal feed. The gut microbiome contributes to this degradation process by providing an additional enzymatic arsenal capable of degrading complex compounds. Therefore, the gut microbiome is a crucial target for manipulation to improve larvae performance. Why? The increasing world population and growing demand for sustainable feed production and waste management require innovative solutions. BSFL provide an eco-friendly solution to these challenges, as their production requires minimal resources. Engineering their gut microbes offers a cutting-edge approach to enhance BSFL waste degradation and protein production capabilities. How? I will design an innovative and highly versatile genome-editing tool based on CRISPR-associated transposons to engineer BSFL gut microbes. As a proof-of-concept, the tool is tested for its ability to knockout antibiotic biosynthesis genes from BSFL isolates and a simulated gut microbiome. The successful disruption of these genes will determine if the tool is suitable for microbiome engineering.