Comparative Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal the Regulatory Effect and Mechanism of Tea Extracts on the Biosynthesis of Monascus Pigments

Abstract

Monascus pigments (MPs) are natural edible pigments with high safety and strong function, which have been widely used in food and health products. In this study, different types of tea extracts (rich in polyphenols) were used to regulate the biosynthesis of MPs. The results showed that 15% ethanol extract of pu-erh tea (T11) could significantly increase MPs production in liquid fermentation of Monaco’s purpureus M3. Comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses combined with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to further explore the regulatory mechanism of T11 on the biosynthesis of MPs. Comparative transcriptomic analysis showed that there were 1503 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the Con group and the T11 group, which were mainly distributed in carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides, etc. A total of 115 differential metabolites (DMs) identified by metabolomics between the Con and T11 groups were mainly enriched in glutathione metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamate metabolism and glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, etc. The results of metabolomics were basically consistent with those of gene transcriptomics, indicating that the regulatory effect of T11 on the biosynthesis of MPs is mainly achieved through affecting the primary metabolic pathway, providing sufficient energy and more biosynthetic precursors for secondary metabolism. In this study, tea extracts with low economic value and easy access were used as promoters of MPs biosynthesis, which may be conducive to the application of MPs in large-scale industrial production. At the same time, a more systematic understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanism of Monascus metabolism was obtained through multi-omics analysis.

Microbiomics and metabolomics insights into the microbial regulation on the formation of flavor components in the traditional fermentation process of Chinese Hongqu aged vinegar

“…As a characteristic fungus in Hongqu (red yeast rice), M. purpureus always has a certain abundance in the whole fermentation process of Hongqu aged vinegar. It was previously reported that Monascus would produce a variety of functional secondary metabolites, including pigments, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and monacolin K, most of which are believed to have antibacterial, antihypertensive and other health effects [32]. S. aogashimaense was firstly found in the fermentation of Hongqu aged vinegar, which was previously identified as the prolific producers of a wide range of secondary metabolites, including class compounds of peptide, glycolipid, polyketide and organic acid [33].…”

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Key Genes Involved in Citrinin Biosynthesis in Monascus purpureus

“…Importantly, comparative transcriptomic analyses have been applied to investigate gene transcription in this fungus under different fermentation conditions (such as different carbon/nitrogen sources, special additives, light treatment, etc.) [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. These studies often concentrated on the biosynthesis of MPs, although several reports also investigated the expression of the CIT pathway in different M. purpureus strains and fermentation conditions.…”

Preparation, Multispectroscopic Characterization, and Stability Analysis of Monascus Red Pigments—Whey Protein Isolate Complex

“…Moreover, MRPs have beneficial effects in controlling blood cholesterol and preventing diabetes, obesity, and cancer [6,7]. MRPs can be added to most products, as a safe food coloring according to production needs [8]. MRPs are widely used in products such as meat, wine, and pasta.…”