Analysis of secondary metabolite gene clusters and chitin biosynthesis pathways of Monascus purpureus with high production of pigment and citrinin based on whole-genome sequencing

Abstract

Monascus is a filamentous fungus that is commonly used for producing Monascus pigments in the food industry in Southeast Asia. While the development of bioinformatics has helped elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying secondary metabolite biosynthesis of Monascus, the biological information on the metabolic engineering of Monascus morphology remains unclear. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome of Monascus purpureus CSU-M183 strain by using combined single-molecule real-time DNA sequencing and next-generation sequencing platforms. The length of the genome assembly was 23.75 Mb in size with a GC content of 49.13% and 69 genomic contigs and encoded 7305 putative predicted genes. Furthermore, we identified secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters and chitin synthesis pathways in the genome of the high pigment-producing M. purpureus CSU-M183 strain. And we confirmed that atmospheric room temperature plasma induced significant expression of the genes on Monascus pigments and citrinin biosynthetic gene cluster in M. purpureus CSU-M183 by RT-qPCR. These results provide a basis for understanding the secondary metabolite biosynthesis, the regulatory mechanisms of Monascus morphology, disrupting secondary metabolite biosynthesis in submerged fermentation, and the metabolic engineering of Monascus morphology.