Effects of MrwetA on Sexual Reproduction and Secondary Metabolism of Monascus ruber M7 Based on Transcriptome Analysis

Abstract

wetA, one of the conidiation center regulatory genes in many filamentous fungi, plays an important role in promoting asexual spores (conidia) maturation. Our recent research has found that knocking out or overexpressing MrwetA (a homolog of wetA) in Monascus ruber M7 does not affect the development of its asexual spores like other fungi, but both repress the development of its sexual spores (ascospores). However, the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the function of MrwetA on sexual reproduction and secondary metabolism in M. ruber M7 was confirmed by a complementary experiment. Moreover, the regulatory roles of MrwetA in modulating the expression of genes involved in sexual reproduction, meiosis, and biosynthesis of Monascus pigment and citrinin were analyzed based on the transcriptional data. These results not only contribute to clarifying the regulation of the reproduction and secondary metabolism of Monascus spp., but also to enriching the regulation molecular mechanism of reproduction in filamentous fungi.