Project description:M. purpureus YY-1 is widely used in food colorant production in China. In our previous study, the whole-genome information of YY-1 was clearly illustrated, which provided useful hints for evolution esearch and industrial applications. However, the presence of citrinin, which has nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, and carcinogenic activities, attracts people′s attention to the safety of Monascus products. In order to reduce the harm of citrinin in Monascus related products, in this study, a random mutant of M. purpureus YY-1, with scarce citrinin production (designated as winter) was obtained. To analyze the biosynthesis and regulation mechanism of pigment and citrinin, transcriptomic analysis of M. purpureus YY-1 and winter was performed. Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals pksCT, the essential gene for citrinin synthesis, showed low expression level in M. purpureus YY-1 and winter, which suggested there might be isoenzymes in M. purpureus YY-1 that were responsible for the citrinin synthesis during evolution. In addition, the expression change of transcription factors may also influence the regulatory network of citrinin synthesis pathway of in M. purpureus. Moreover, the yields of pigments produced by the winter mutant were significantly increased. Repressing central carbon metabolism and improving the acetyl-CoA pool can contribute to the high yield of pigments, and enhanced NADPH regeneration also lead the metabolic flux to pigments in M. purpureus. Investigations on biosynthesis and regulation of citrinin and pigment production in M purpureus will enhance our knowledge of the mechanisms in fungal secondary metabolite biosynthesis.
Project description:In eukaryotes, methylation of histone H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4me) catalyzed by the complex of proteins associated with Set1 (COMPASS) is crucial for the transcriptional regulation of genes and the development of organisms. In Monascus, the functions of COMPASS in establishing H3K4me remain unclear. This study first identified the conserved COMPASS core subunits MpSet1 and MpSwd3 in Monascus purpureus and confirmed their roles in establishing H3K4me2/3. Loss of MpSet1 and MpSwd3 resulted in slower growth and development and inhibited the formation of cleistothecia, ascospores, and conidia. The loss of these core subunits also decreased the production of extracellular and intracellular Monascus pigments (MPs) by 94.2%, 93.5%, 82.7%, and 82.5%, respectively. In addition, RNA high-throughput sequencing and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) showed that the loss of MpSet1 and MpSwd3 altered the expression of 2646 and 2659 genes, respectively, and repressed the transcription of MPs synthesis-related genes. In addition, the ΔMpset1 and ΔMpswd3 strains demonstrated increased sensitivity to cell wall stress with the downregulation of chitin synthase-coding genes. These results indicated that the COMPASS core subunits MpSet1 and MpSwd3 help establish H3K4me2/3 for growth and development, spore formation, and pigment synthesis in Monascus. These core subunits also assist in maintaining cell wall integrity.
