Importance of the ammonia assimilation by Penicillium purpurogenum in amino derivative Monascus pigment, PP-V, production

Abstract

A fungal strain, Penicillium purpurogenum IAM 15392, produced the azaphilone Monascus pigment homolog when cultured in a medium composed of soluble starch, ammonium nitrate, yeast extract, and citrate buffer, pH 5.0. One of the typical features of violet pigment PP-V [(10Z)-12- carboxyl-monascorubramine] is that pyranoid oxygen is replaced with nitrogen. In this study, we found that glutamine synthetase (glnB) and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh1) genes were expressed in the culture conditions conducive to PP-V production. Gln and Glu both support PP-V biosynthesis, but PP-V biosynthesis was much more efficient with Gln. We determined that synthesis of Gln by glutamine synthetase from ammonium is important for PP-V production.

Fungal Pigments and Their Prospects in Different Industries

“…Studies report the production of a herqueinone-like pigment from Talaromyces marneffei (formerly known as Penicillium marneffei), Monascus-like azaphilone pigments (N-glutarylmonascorubramine and N-glutarylrubropunctamine) from Talaromyces purpureogenus (formerly known as Penicillium purpureogenum), industrially important red pigments (mitorubrin, monascorubrin, PP-R, glauconic acid, purpuride, and ZG-1494α) from Talaromyces atroroseus, trihydroxyanthraquinones (emodin, erythroglaucin, and catenarin) from Talaromyces stipitatus, and a xanthone dimer (talaroxanthone) from Talaromyces sp. (Figure 3b) [100,101,103,107,109]. An uncharacterized red pigment was discovered from Talaromyces siamensis under submerged fermentation [71].…”

The relationship between the violet pigment PP-V production and intracellular ammonium level in Penicillium purpurogenum

“…The violet pigment derived from medium to which glutamine is added was determined as PP-V (Arai et al 2013 ). To verify that PP-V that detected as extracellular pigment on glutamine medium is biosynthesized in the cell, we investigated whether it was obtained from reactants of PP-O and glutamine by in vitro, and analyzed intracellular pigment by TLC.…”

“…Therefore, ammonium is needed to biosynthesize this pigment. Previously, we predicted that the ammonium derived from glutamine degradation is used for PP-V production ( Arai et al 2013 ).…”

“…Previously, we revealed that when not only inorganic nitrogen but also some amino acids are added, a violet pigment was produced, and that pigment produced on glutamine was determined as PP-V by NMR (Arai et al 2013 ). Further, we showed that PP-V productivity reduced by inhibiting glutamine synthetase (GS) and that glutamine was preferred for this pigment production than glutamate (Arai et al 2013 ). These results suggested that ammonium generated through glutamine degradation by glutaminase after ammonium assimilation is used for component of PP-V (Arai et al 2013 ).…”

“…Further, we showed that PP-V productivity reduced by inhibiting glutamine synthetase (GS) and that glutamine was preferred for this pigment production than glutamate (Arai et al 2013 ). These results suggested that ammonium generated through glutamine degradation by glutaminase after ammonium assimilation is used for component of PP-V (Arai et al 2013 ). Hence, we considered that intracellular ammonium level is important in PP-V production.…”