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Qin X, Han H, Zhang J, Xie B, Zhang Y, Liu J, Dong W, Hu Y, Yu X, Feng Y. Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses of Soybean Protein Isolate on Monascus Pigments and Monacolin K Production. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:500. [PMID: 39057385 PMCID: PMC11277953 DOI: 10.3390/jof10070500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Monascus pigments (MPs) and monacolin K (MK) are important secondary metabolites produced by Monascus spp. This study aimed to investigate the effect of soybean protein isolate (SPI) on the biosynthesis of MPs and MK based on the analysis of physiological indicators, transcriptomes, and metabolomes. The results indicated that the growth, yellow MPs, and MK production of Monascus pilosus MS-1 were significantly enhanced by SPI, which were 8.20, 8.01, and 1.91 times higher than that of the control, respectively. The utilization of a nitrogen source, protease activity, the production and utilization of soluble protein, polypeptides, and free amino acids were also promoted by SPI. The transcriptomic analysis revealed that the genes mokA, mokB, mokC, mokD, mokE, mokI, and mokH which are involved in MK biosynthesis were significantly up-regulated by SPI. Moreover, the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate metabolism, fatty acid degradation, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and amino acid metabolism were effectively up-regulated by SPI. The metabolomic analysis indicated that metabolisms of amino acid, lipid, pyruvate, TCA cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, starch and sucrose, and pentose phosphate pathway were significantly disturbed by SPI. Thus, MPs and MK production promoted by SPI were mainly attributed to the increased biomass, up-regulated gene expression level, and more precursors and energies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueling Qin
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Haolan Han
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Jiayi Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Bin Xie
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Yufan Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Weiwei Dong
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Yuanliang Hu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Xiang Yu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
| | - Yanli Feng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China; (X.Q.); (H.H.); (J.Z.); (B.X.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (W.D.); (Y.H.); (X.Y.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi 435002, China
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Duan Y, Chen X, Wang T, Li M. The serine/threonine protein kinase MpSTE1 directly governs hyphal branching in Monascus spp. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108:255. [PMID: 38446219 PMCID: PMC10917826 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-024-13093-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Monascus spp. are commercially important fungi due to their ability to produce beneficial secondary metabolites such as the cholesterol-lowering agent lovastatin and natural food colorants azaphilone pigments. Although hyphal branching intensively influenced the production of these secondary metabolites, the pivotal regulators of hyphal development in Monascus spp. remain unclear. To identify these important regulators, we developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted image analysis tool for quantification of hyphae-branching and constructed a random T-DNA insertion library. High-throughput screening revealed that a STE kinase, MpSTE1, was considered as a key regulator of hyphal branching based on the hyphal phenotype. To further validate the role of MpSTE1, we generated an mpSTE1 gene knockout mutant, a complemented mutant, and an overexpression mutant (OE::mpSTE1). Microscopic observations revealed that overexpression of mpSTE1 led to a 63% increase in branch number while deletion of mpSTE1 reduced the hyphal branching by 68% compared to the wild-type strain. In flask cultures, the strain OE::mpSTE1 showed accelerated growth and glucose consumption. More importantly, the strain OE::mpSTE1 produced 9.2 mg/L lovastatin and 17.0 mg/L azaphilone pigments, respectively, 47.0% and 30.1% higher than those of the wild-type strain. Phosphoproteomic analysis revealed that MpSTE1 directly phosphorylated 7 downstream signal proteins involved in cell division, cytoskeletal organization, and signal transduction. To our best knowledge, MpSTE1 is reported as the first characterized regulator for tightly regulating the hyphal branching in Monascus spp. These findings significantly expanded current understanding of the signaling pathway governing the hyphal branching and development in Monascus spp. Furthermore, MpSTE1 and its analogs were demonstrated as promising targets for improving production of valuable secondary metabolites. KEY POINTS: • MpSTE1 is the first characterized regulator for tightly regulating hyphal branching • Overexpression of mpSTE1 significantly improves secondary metabolite production • A high-throughput image analysis tool was developed for counting hyphal branching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yali Duan
- Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, College of Food Science and Technology, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented FoodsHuazhong Agricultural UniversityHubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xizhu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, College of Food Science and Technology, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented FoodsHuazhong Agricultural UniversityHubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Tingya Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, College of Food Science and Technology, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented FoodsHuazhong Agricultural UniversityHubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Mu Li
- Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, College of Food Science and Technology, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented FoodsHuazhong Agricultural UniversityHubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China.
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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Chen D, Li H. Mannitol improves Monascus pigment biosynthesis with rice bran as a substrate in Monascus purpureus. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1300461. [PMID: 38156009 PMCID: PMC10753769 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1300461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
To reduce the production cost of Monascus pigments (MPs), the utilization of rice bran (RB), an agricultural waste product, as a substrate in submerged fermentation was conducted in this study. To improve MP production, different nutritional ingredients including mannitol (Man), NH4NO3 (AN), ZnSO4 (Zn), and optimization (Opti), which was a synthesis of the three above ones, were added in rice bran (RB) medium. The yields of MPs, pigment constituents, and growth and development of Monascus purpureus M9 were investigated in this study. Man had the maximum color value of 3,532 U/g, which was 18.69 times more than that of RB and reached up to 76.65% of the value of rice (Rice) fermentation. Man significantly increased the production of two orange pigments, monascorubrin and rubropunctatin, of which the yields were 69.49 and 95.36% of the counterpart of Rice. The biomass and colony diameter of Opti presented the maximum value among different groups. AN and RB induced more asexual spore formation, whereas Opti and Man promoted sexual spore production. Comparative transcriptomic analysis showed that different nutritional ingredients led to changes in pigment production, promoting the growth and development of M. purpureus M9 through the regulation of related gene expression. Man and Opti improved MP production by regulating the primary metabolism, including the Embden-Meyerhof pathway (EMP), the pentose phosphate (PP) pathway, the tricarboxylic (TCA) cycle, fatty acid degradation (FAD), fatty acid biosynthesis (FAB), amino acid metabolism (AAM), and fructose and mannose metabolism (FMM), to provide the precursors (acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA) for MP biosynthesis. This study presents a low-cost method for increasing MP production and explains the molecular mechanisms of different nutritional ingredients for enhancing MP biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Chen
- College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
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