rubropunctatin and monascorubrin

Monascus spp. have been used for thousands of years as a traditional food additive in China. This mold can produce many different types of commercially valuable secondary metabolites of biological activity. Soluble starch and glycerol are the two principal carbon sources universally utilized by Monascus for the production of beneficial metabolites. In this study, the effects and regulation mechanisms of soluble starch and glycerol for M. purpureus FAFU618 on Monascus azaphilone pigments (MonAzPs) were investigated through ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS), comparative proteomics and quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The production of intracellular and extracellular pigments was significantly different between the soluble starch group (SSG) and glycerol group (GCG). Additionally, the components of intracellular pigments revealed by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS showed that Monascin and Ankaflavin increased significantly in the GCG, while Rubropunctatin and Monascorubrin increased in the SSG. Differentially expressed proteins of mycelia between SSG and GCG were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. We identified 27 proteins with statistically altered expression, of which 18 proteins associated with the EMP (glycolytic pathway), translation, energy generation, proteolysis, etc. were up-regulated, and 9 proteins, including ribosomal proteins, heat shock proteins (HSPs) and others, were down-regulated in GCG. Meanwhile, the expression levels of MonAzP biosynthetic genes were also analyzed by RT-qPCR, and the results showed that mppA, mppC, mppR1 and mppR2 were down-regulated, whereas genes MpPKS5, MpFasA2, MpFasB2, mppB, mppD and mppE were up-regulated. Collectively, these findings illustrate that the regulation of MonAzPs is not only closely related to the expression levels of certain proteins in the polyketide synthesis pathway but also closely related to the concentration of primary metabolism-generated molecules that are used as substrates for polyketide synthesis. The present study provides insights into the regulation of different carbon sources on the metabolism of MonAzPs in M. purpureus FAFU618. These results may promote further development of functional foods or medicines from Monascus spp. fermented products.

Topics: Benzofurans; Benzopyrans; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Food Microbiology; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Glycerol; Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring; Monascus; Pigments, Biological; Proteomics; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Solubility; Starch; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Transcription, Genetic; Transcriptome

The influence of different illumination levels of blue light on the growth and intracellular pigment yields of Monascus strain M9 was investigated. Compared with darkness, constant exposure to blue light of 100 lux reduced the yields of six pigments, namely, rubropunctatamine (RUM), monascorubramine (MOM), rubropunctatin (RUN), monascorubrin (MON), monascin (MS), and ankaflavin (AK). However, exposure to varying levels of blue light had different effects on pigment production. Exposure to 100 lux of blue light once for 30 min/day and to 100 lux of blue light once and twice for 15 min/day could enhance RUM, MOM, MS, and AK production and reduce RUN and MON compared with non-exposure. Exposure to 100 lux twice for 30 min/day and to 200 lux once for 45 min/day decreased the RUM, MOM, MS, and AK yields and increased the RUN and MON. Meanwhile, the expression levels of pigment biosynthetic genes were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. Results indicated that gene MpPKS5, mppR1, mppA, mppB, mmpC, mppD, MpFasA, MpFasB, and mppF were positively correlated with the yields of RUN and MON, whereas mppE and mppR2 were associated with RUM, MOM, MS, and AK production.

Topics: Benzofurans; Benzopyrans; Flavins; Gene Expression; Genes, Fungal; Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring; Light; Monascus; Pigments, Biological