Journal
JOURNAL OF FUNGI
Volume 8, Issue 9, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/jof8090910
Keywords
Monascus purpureus; chitin synthase; morphology; stress tolerance; secondary metabolite
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [32101906]
- Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province [2021JJ31146, 2022JJ31011]
- Research and Development Plan in Key Areas of Hunan Province [2019NK2111]
- Changsha key S&T Special Projects [kh2003013]
- Education Department of Scientific Research Project of Hunan Province [20B619]
- Education Department of Postgraduate Research and Innovation Project of Hunan Province [CX20210898, CX20210863]
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This study reveals that the chitin synthase gene VI (chs6) plays a vital role in regulating the cell growth and secondary metabolism of Monascus, and its deletion significantly affects the biosynthesis and morphological development of Monascus.
In this study, the gene monascus-5162 from Monascus purpureus LQ-6, identified as chitin synthase gene VI (chs6), was knocked out to disrupt the chitin biosynthetic pathway and regulate the biosynthesis of Monascus pigments (MPs) and citrinin. The results showed that the aerial hyphae on a solid medium were short and sparse after the deletion of chs6 in M. purpureus LQ-6, significantly reducing the germination percentage of active spores to approximately 22%, but the colony diameter was almost unaffected. Additionally, the deletion of chs6 changed the mycelial morphology of M. purpureus LQ-6 during submerged fermentation and increased its sensitivity to environmental factors. MP and citrinin biosynthesis was dramatically inhibited in the recombinant strain. Furthermore, comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that the pathways related to spore development and growth, including the MAPK signaling pathway, chitin biosynthetic pathway, and regulatory factors LaeA and WetA genes, were significantly downregulated in the early phase of fermentation. The mRNA expression levels of genes in the cluster of secondary metabolites were significantly downregulated, especially those related to citrinin biosynthesis. This is the first detailed study to reveal that chs6 plays a vital role in regulating the cell growth and secondary metabolism of the Monascus genus.
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