Insight into selenium biofortification and the selenite metabolic mechanism of Monascus ruber M7

Lisha Zhu; Pengcheng Long; Man Hu; Liling Wang; Yanchun Shao; Shuiyuan Cheng; Xingxing Dong; Yi He

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139740

Insight into selenium biofortification and the selenite metabolic mechanism of Monascus ruber M7

Food Chem. 2024 Oct 15:455:139740. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139740. Epub 2024 May 21.

Authors

Lisha Zhu¹, Pengcheng Long², Man Hu², Liling Wang³, Yanchun Shao⁴, Shuiyuan Cheng², Xingxing Dong², Yi He⁵

Affiliations

¹ National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, Hubei Engineering Research Center for Deep Processing of Green Se-rich Agricultural Products, School of Modern Industry for Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, PR China; Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory for Processing and Transformation of Agricultural Products, School of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, PR China.
² National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, Hubei Engineering Research Center for Deep Processing of Green Se-rich Agricultural Products, School of Modern Industry for Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, PR China.
³ College of Food Science and Engineering, Tarim University, Alar 843300, PR China.
⁴ College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
⁵ National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, Hubei Engineering Research Center for Deep Processing of Green Se-rich Agricultural Products, School of Modern Industry for Selenium Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, PR China; Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory for Processing and Transformation of Agricultural Products, School of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, PR China. Electronic address: yi.he@whpu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38843715
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139740

Abstract

Monascus species are functional fermentation fungi with great potential for selenium (Se) supplementation. This study investigated the effects of Se bio-fortification on the growth, morphology, and biosynthesis of Monascus ruber M7. The results demonstrated a significant increase in the yield of orange and red Monascus pigments (MPs) in red yeast rice (RYR) by 38.52% and 36.57%, respectively, under 20 μg/mL of selenite pressure. Meanwhile, the production of citrinin (CIT), a mycotoxin, decreased from 244.47 μg/g to 175.01 μg/g. Transcriptome analysis revealed significant upregulation of twelve genes involved in MPs biosynthesis, specifically MpigE, MpigF, and MpigN, and downregulation of four genes (mrr3, mrr4, mrr7, and mrr8) associated with CIT biosynthesis. Additionally, three genes encoding cysteine synthase cysK (Log₂FC = 1.6), methionine synthase metH (Log₂FC = 2.2), and methionyl-tRNA synthetase metG (Log₂FC = 1.8) in selenocompound metabolism showed significantly upregulated. These findings provide insights into Se biotransformation and metabolism in filamentous fungi.

Keywords: Monascus ruber; Morphology; Secondary metabolites; Selenite metabolism; Transcriptome.

MeSH terms

Biofortification*
Biological Products
Citrinin* / metabolism
Fermentation
Fungal Proteins / genetics
Fungal Proteins / metabolism
Monascus* / genetics
Monascus* / growth & development
Monascus* / metabolism
Pigments, Biological / metabolism
Selenious Acid* / metabolism
Selenium* / metabolism

Substances

Selenium
Selenious Acid
Citrinin
Fungal Proteins
Pigments, Biological
red yeast rice
Biological Products