Mosses have long been recognized as powerful experimental tools for the elucidation of complex processes in plant biology. Recent increases in the availability of sequenced genomes and mutant collections, the establishment of novel technologies for targeted mutagenesis, and the development of viable protocols for large-scale production in bioreactors are now transforming mosses into one of the most versatile tools for biotechnological applications. In the present review, we highlight the astonishing biotechnological potential of mosses and how these plants are being exploited for industrial, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications. We focus on the biological features that support their use as model organisms for basic and applied research, and how these are being leveraged to explore the biotechnological potential in an increasing number of species. Finally, we also provide an overview of the available moss cultivation protocols from an industrial perspective, offering insights into batch operations that are not yet well established or do not even exist in the literature. Our goal is to bolster the use of mosses as factories for the biosynthesis of molecules of interest and to show how these species can be harnessed for the generation of novel and commercially useful bioproducts.

长期以来，人们一直认为苔藓是阐明植物生物学复杂过程的强大实验工具。测序基因组和突变体集合的可用性最近的增长，针对靶点诱变的新技术的建立以及生物反应器中大规模生产的可行方案的发展，现在正将苔藓转变为生物技术应用中最通用的工具之一。在当前的审查中，我们重点介绍了苔藓的惊人的生物技术潜力，以及如何将这些植物用于工业，制药和环境应用。我们专注于支持其作为基础和应用研究的模型生物的生物学特性，以及如何利用它们来探索越来越多物种中的生物技术潜力。最后，我们还从工业角度概述了可用的青苔栽培方案，以深入了解尚未完全建立或什至在文献中不存在的分批操作。我们的目标是提倡使用苔藓作为工厂进行目标分子的生物合成，并展示如何利用这些物种来生产新颖的和商业上有用的生物产品。