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Monascus

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{Short description|Genus of fungi}}

{{Automatic Taxobox

| image = Red rice wine hong zhao.JPG

| image_caption = Monascus purpureus being used to make red rice wine

| taxon = Monascus

| authority = Tiegh. (1884)

| type_species = Monascus ruber

| type_species_authority =

| synonyms = *Allescheria {{au|Sacc. & P.Syd. (1899)}}

  • Backusia {{au|Thirum., M.D.Whitehead & P.N.Mathur (1965)}}
  • Eurotiella {{au|Lindau (1900)}}
  • Eurotiopsis {{au|Costantin ex Laborde (1897)}}
  • Physomyces {{au|Harz (1890)}}

}}

Monascus is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented Monascus purpureus is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Japan. It has also been found associated with the nests of some bee species, particularly bumblebees and sweat bees though its function in these environments is unclear.{{cite journal |last1=Menezes |first1=Cristiano |last2=Vollet-Neto |first2=Ayrton |last3=Marsaioli |first3=Anita Jocelyne |last4=Zampieri |first4=Davila |last5=Fontoura |first5=Isabela Cardoso |last6=Luchessi |first6=Augusto Ducati |last7=Imperatriz-Fonseca |first7=Vera Lucia |title=A Brazilian Social Bee Must Cultivate Fungus to Survive |journal=Current Biology |date=2 November 2015 |volume=25 |issue=21 |pages=2851–2855 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2015.09.028|pmid=26592344 |bibcode=2015CBio...25.2851M }}{{cite journal |last1=Chow |first1=Lui Julie |last2=Nesbit |first2=Miles L. |last3=Hill |first3=Tom |last4=Tranter |first4=Christopher |last5=Evison |first5=Sophie E.F. |last6=Hughes |first6=William O.H. |last7=Graystock |first7=Peter |title=Identification of fungi isolated from commercial bumblebee colonies |journal=PeerJ |date=30 January 2024 |volume=12 |pages=e16713 |doi=10.7717/peerj.16713|doi-access=free |pmid=38313023 |pmc=10836204 }}

Species

Phylogeny

Phylogeny as given by Bisby et al., 2000, who put the genus into a separate family Monascaceae.{{cite web|title=Catalogue of Life – 2011 Annual Checklist :: Search all names|url=http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2011/search/all/key/monascus/match/1|website=www.catalogueoflife.org|accessdate=23 October 2017|language=en}}

{{Clade

| label1 = Monascaceae

| 1={{Clade

| label1 = Monascus

| 1={{Clade

| 1=Monascus kaoliang

| 2=Monascus pilosus

| 3=Monascus aurantiacus

| 4=Monascus floridanus

| 5=Monascus eremophilus

| 6=Monascus ruber

| 7=Monascus purpureus

| 8=Monascus argentinensis

}}

| 2=Basipetospora

| 3=Xeromyces

| 4=Fraseriella

}}

}}

Monascus pigments and biosynthesis

Monascus purpureus derives its signature red color from mosascus pigment that is composed of azaphilones or secondary fungal metabolites.{{Cite journal |last1=Agboyibor |first1=Clement |last2=Kong |first2=Wei-Bao |last3=Chen |first3=Dong |last4=Zhang |first4=Ai-Mei |last5=Niu |first5=Shi-Quan |date=1 October 2018 |title=Monascus pigments production, composition, bioactivity and its application: A review |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878818118300835 |journal=Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology |language=en |volume=16 |pages=433–447 |doi=10.1016/j.bcab.2018.09.012 |s2cid=139258585 |issn=1878-8181|url-access=subscription }} There are six primary compounds all with similar biosynthetic pathways, two yellow pigments, ankaflavin and monascin, two orange pigments monascorubin and rubropunctain, and two red pigments monascorubinamine and rubropunctaimine.{{Cite journal |last1=Chaudhary |first1=Vishu |last2=Katyal |first2=Priya |last3=Poonia |first3=Anuj Kumar |last4=Kaur |first4=Jaspreet |last5=Puniya |first5=Anil Kumar |last6=Panwar |first6=Harsh |date=4 October 2021 |title=Natural pigment from Monascus : The production and therapeutic significance |journal=Journal of Applied Microbiology |volume=133 |issue=1 |language=en |pages=18–38 |doi=10.1111/jam.15308 |pmid=34569683 |s2cid=237941521 |issn=1364-5072|doi-access=free }} All six are produced with a combination of polyketide synthase (PKS) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) In the first step a hexekatide is formed through Type 1 PKS encoded by the Mripig A gene.{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Lujie |last2=Zhao |first2=Jixing |last3=Huang |first3=Yaolin |last4=Xin |first4=Qiao |last5=Wang |first5=Zhilong |date=2018 |title=Diversifying of Chemical Structure of Native Monascus Pigments |journal=Frontiers in Microbiology |volume=9 |page=3143 |doi=10.3389/fmicb.2018.03143 |issn=1664-302X |pmc=6308397 |pmid=30622522|doi-access=free }} PKS uses the domains acyl transferase, acetyl-CoA, ketoacyl synthase, acyl transferase, acyl carrier protein and the base units of acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA to produce a ketone chain that undergoes Knoevenagel aldol condensations. The second step is the formation of a fatty acid through the FAS pathway. The β-keto acid then undergoes a trans-esterification reaction to form one of the two orange pigments. At this point the compound can either undergo reduction to form one of the yellow pigments or amination to form one of the red pigments.

References

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Category:Aspergillaceae

Category:Eurotiomycetes genera

Category:Taxa described in 1884

{{Eurotiomycetes-stub}}