Surreal illustration of moss and bio-reactors

Moss-Made Miracles: Engineering Plants for Sustainable Production

Samir D’Costa in Tech & Innovation December 2025 • 3 min read.

"Discover how scientists are transforming Physcomitrella patens into a powerhouse for creating valuable compounds, paving the way for a greener future."

Imagine a world where everyday products, from medicines to sustainable materials, are created using a simple, sustainable process. Scientists are turning this vision into reality by engineering plants to produce valuable compounds. One plant, in particular, is showing incredible promise: Physcomitrella patens, a humble moss with extraordinary potential.

Physcomitrella patens stands out because it's easy to modify its genes, allowing scientists to introduce new capabilities. Unlike more complex plants, this moss has a simple genetic makeup and a dominant haploid lifecycle, making it an ideal candidate for biotechnological innovation. Recent advances have demonstrated the ability to assemble multiple heterologous DNA fragments in vivo, making P. patens an attractive choice as a biotechnological chassis for the production of recombinant peptides.

Researchers are now focusing on engineering P. patens to produce diterpenoids, complex molecules with a wide range of applications, from pharmaceuticals to industrial materials. By mimicking the modular nature of diterpene biosynthetic pathways found in modern land plants, scientists are developing a flexible pipeline to install combinations of class II and class I diterpene synthases in P. patens to access industrially relevant diterpene biomaterials.

Why Moss? The Allure of Physcomitrella Patens

Surreal illustration of moss and bio-reactors

Why choose moss over traditional workhorses like E. coli or S. cerevisiae? Photosynthetic systems offer unique advantages, including sustainability and similarity to plant systems. While E. coli and S. cerevisiae are valued for their short doubling time and advanced genetic tools, photosynthetic systems are compensated by:

The abundance of photosynthetically fixed carbon and reducing equivalents.

Native membrane systems.
Subcellular compartments amenable to targeting of biosynthetic steps.
Dedicated storage organelles for the products.

Physcomitrella patens can undergo homologous recombination, allowing direct genome editing without the requirement of CRISPR-systems, known genome sequence, presence of the carbon-efficient 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway providing C5-building blocks in the plastids and industrial scalability.

The Future is Green

The success in engineering diterpene biosynthetic pathways in Physcomitrella patens marks a significant step toward sustainable production of valuable compounds. As research progresses, the unique advantages of moss as a production platform could revolutionize various industries, offering a greener, more efficient alternative to traditional methods. By unlocking the potential of this unassuming plant, scientists are paving the way for a future where nature and technology work hand in hand to create a more sustainable world.

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Everything You Need To Know

What makes Physcomitrella patens a good choice for biotechnological innovation?

Physcomitrella patens is favored due to its easily modifiable genes, a simple genetic makeup, and a dominant haploid lifecycle. These characteristics make it an ideal candidate for introducing new capabilities. Moreover, this moss can undergo homologous recombination, enabling direct genome editing without the need for CRISPR systems, and it has a known genome sequence. It also possesses the carbon-efficient 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, providing C5-building blocks in the plastids, which supports industrial scalability.

How does Physcomitrella patens compare to traditional production systems like E. coli and S. cerevisiae?

Physcomitrella patens, being a photosynthetic system, offers unique advantages over systems like E. coli and S. cerevisiae. While E. coli and S. cerevisiae excel in short doubling times and advanced genetic tools, P. patens leverages photosynthetically fixed carbon and reducing equivalents, possesses native membrane systems, and has subcellular compartments suitable for targeting biosynthetic steps. It also has dedicated storage organelles for product storage. These features make it a more sustainable option.

What are diterpenoids, and why are scientists engineering Physcomitrella patens to produce them?

Diterpenoids are complex molecules with a wide range of applications, spanning pharmaceuticals to industrial materials. Scientists are engineering Physcomitrella patens to produce these molecules because they are valuable in various industries. The research involves mimicking the modular nature of diterpene biosynthetic pathways. The goal is to create a flexible pipeline that combines class II and class I diterpene synthases, enabling access to industrially relevant diterpene biomaterials.

What are the long-term implications of using Physcomitrella patens for sustainable production?

The success in engineering diterpene biosynthetic pathways in Physcomitrella patens represents a significant step towards sustainable production. The unique advantages of moss as a production platform could revolutionize various industries. This approach offers a greener, more efficient alternative to traditional methods, paving the way for a future where nature and technology collaborate to create a more sustainable world. The implications include reducing reliance on environmentally harmful processes and materials, and promoting sustainable manufacturing practices.

How are researchers engineering Physcomitrella patens to produce valuable compounds, and what are the key steps?

Researchers are engineering Physcomitrella patens by modifying its genes to introduce new capabilities, specifically focusing on the production of diterpenoids. The key steps involve assembling multiple heterologous DNA fragments in vivo, mimicking the modular nature of diterpene biosynthetic pathways found in modern land plants. This involves installing combinations of class II and class I diterpene synthases. This approach allows scientists to create a flexible pipeline to produce industrially relevant diterpene biomaterials. This method leverages the moss's ability to undergo homologous recombination and the presence of the MEP pathway.