Ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis in fungi: genetic mechanisms, applications, and implications for agricultural biotechnology

Abstract

Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) is a widely used chemical mutagen that induces high-frequency point mutations and has been extensively applied in genetic studies across diverse biological systems. While EMS-based mutagenesis frameworks are well established in plant research, their application in fungal systems remains comparatively fragmented and methodologically inconsistent. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the mechanisms, efficiency, and mutation profiles of EMS in fungi, with emphasis on forward genetics, functional genomics, strain improvement, and pathogenicity studies relevant to agricultural biotechnology. We critically evaluate methodological limitations, mutation validation challenges, and gaps in standardised screening and sequencing pipelines relative to plant EMS platforms. Furthermore, we contextualize reported laboratory-scale trait enhancements, such as enzyme production and stress tolerance, within their prospective agricultural relevance. Overall, this review highlights the need for standardized fungal EMS workflows, integrated genomic validation, and ecologically relevant phenotyping to advance fungal biotechnology and agricultural applications.