Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 02 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03219-9

We developed the prime editor fPE7max, which is optimized for filamentous fungi and enables precise genome engineering — from single-base substitutions to kilobase-scale insertions and multi-kilobase deletions, across diverse species. Editing of translation-regulatory elements for a pleiotropic metabolic regulator unlocked previously inaccessible biosynthetic pathways and uncovered new fungal metabolites.