Two new species of Monascus from Iraq, with a key to known species of the genus

Monascus sanguineus May Be a Natural Nothospecies

The genus Monascus has important economic and ecological values. In 2016, we isolated a strain M. sanguineus. After studying the phylogenetic relationship of Monascus, we believe that M. sanguineus is an independent species and speculate that it is a natural nothospecies. Recently, the morphological characteristics and sequences of seven genes (ITS, LSU, β-tubulin, calmodulin, RNA polymerase II subunit, β-ketoacyl synthase, and mating-type locus 1-1) of 15 Monascus strains were analyzed, including sequencing of multiple clones of five protein genes in four M. sanguineus strains. Two types of haplotypes (A and B) were observed in the five protein genes of M. sanguineus. Haplotype A was closely related to M. ruber, and haplotype B may be derived from an unknown Monascus species. The results demonstrated that M. sanguineus including type strains may be a natural nothospecies. This study laid the foundation for further exploration of the M. sanguineus genome, and the study may be of significant importance for the Monascus fermentation industry.

Beneficial Effects of Monascus sp. KCCM 10093 Pigments and Derivatives: A Mini Review

The production of Monascus pigments and related byproducts, via microbial fermentation, has been broadly utilized as coloring by traditional food industries and as a natural textile dye. In addition to these traditional purposes, Monascus pigments have been recently favored for a variety of commercial and academic purposes. Pigments and derivatives formed during Monascus fermentation have pharmaceutical and clinical properties that can counteract common diseases, including obesity, type-2 diabetes, and cancer. Various research attempts have investigated the optimum conditions for this derived compound synthesis, as well as the still-unknown bio-functional effects. Recently, several studies were conducted using Monascus sp. KCCM 10093 and its derivatives. These experimental outcomes potentially reflect the bio-functional features of Monascus sp. KCCM 10093. However, no publication to date provides an overview of Monascus sp. KCCM 10093's unique metabolite products, functionalities, or biological pathways. In order to develop profitable commercial applications of Monascus sp. KCCM 10093, it is necessary not only to conduct continuous research, but also to systematically organize previous Monascus studies. The goals of this review are to investigate the current derivatives of Monascus sp. KCCM 10093 pigments-some of which have demonstrated newly-identified functionality-and the relevant uses of these molecules for pharmaceutical or nutraceutical purposes.

Phylogenetic analysis of Monascus and new species from honey, pollen and nests of stingless bees

The genus Monascus was described by van Tieghem (1884) to accommodate M. ruber and M. mucoroides, two species with non-ostiolate ascomata. Species delimitation in the genus is still mainly based on phenotypic characters, and taxonomic studies that include sequence data are limited. The genus is of economic importance. Species are used in fermented Asian foods as food colourants (e.g. ‘red rice’ (ang-kak, angka)) and found as spoilage organisms, and recently Monascus was found to be essential in the lifecycle of stingless bees. In this study, a polyphasic approach was applied combining morphological characters, ITS, LSU, β-tubulin, calmodulin and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit sequences and extrolite data, to delimit species and to study phylogenetic relationships in Monascus. Furthermore, 30 Monascus isolates from honey, pollen and nests of stingless bees in Brazil were included. Based on this polyphasic approach, the genus Monascus is resolved in nine species, including three new species associated with stingless bees (M. flavipigmentosus sp. nov., M. mellicola sp. nov., M. recifensis sp. nov., M. argentinensis, M. floridanus, M. lunisporas, M. pallens, M. purpureus, M. ruber), and split in two new sections (section Floridani sect. nov., section Rubri sect. nov.). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the xerophile Monascus eremophilus does not belong in Monascus and monophyly in Monascus is restored with the transfer of M. eremophilus to Penicillium (P. eremophilum comb. nov.). A list of accepted and excluded Monascus and Basipetospora species is given, together with information on (ex-)types cultures and barcode sequence data.

Insights into Monascus biology at the genetic level

The genus of Monascus was nominated by van Tieghem in 1884, but its fermented product-red mold rice (RMR), namely red yeast rice, has been used as folk medicines, food colorants, and fermentation starters for more than thousands of years in oriental countries. Nowadays, RMR is widely developed as food supplements around the world due to its functional compounds such as monacolin K (MK, also called lovastatin) and γ-aminobutyric acid. But the usage of RMR also incurs controversy resulting from contamination of citrinin (a kind of mycotoxin) produced by some Monascus strains. In the past decade, it has made great progress to Monascus spp. at the genetic level with the application of molecular biology techniques to restrain the citrinin production and increase the yields of MK and pigment in RMR, as well as aid Monascus classification and phylogenesis. Up to now, hundreds of papers about Monascus molecular biology (MMB) have been published in the international primary journals. However, to our knowledge, there is no MMB review issued until now. In this review, current understanding of Monascus spp. from the view of molecular biology will be covered and insights into research areas that need to be further investigated will also be discussed.

Phylogeny and intraspecific variation of the extreme xerophile, Xeromyces bisporus

The filamentous ascomycete Xeromyces bisporus is an extreme xerophile able to grow down to a water activity of 0.62. We have inferred the phylogenetic position of Xeromyces in relation to other xerophilic and xerotolerant fungi in the order Eurotiales. Using nrDNA and betatubulin sequences, we show that it is more closely related to the xerophilic foodborne species of the genus Chrysosporium, than to the genus Monascus. The taxonomy of X. bisporus and Monascus is discussed. Based on physiological, morphological, and phylogenetic distinctiveness, we suggest that Xeromyces should be retained as a separate genus.

A reassessment of cleistothecia as a taxonomic character

The morphology of sexual fruit bodies has been historically regarded as a key character in fungal taxonomy. In the 1970s the class Plectomycetes was recognized in order to classify the cleistothecial ascomycetes. However, recent analysis of DNA sequencing data concerning the phylogeny of numerous cleistothecial ascomycetes confirmed that the criterion of the production of closed ascomata without a predefined opening and with an irregular arrangement of the asci at the centrum is of little systematic value, as pointed out by different authors on the basis of morphological studies.