title: [Identification of a pigment-polyketide synthase gene deleted mutant of Monascus ruber M7].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reveal the function of a polyketide synthase gene (pksPT), probably responsible for the synthesis of Monascus pigments in Monascus ruber M7.
  
  
  METHODS
  The pksPT was analyzed using bioinformatics method; it was disrupted using Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation method, generating the pksPT-deleted mutant (ΔpksPT). Colonial morphology, conidial germination, pigment and citrinin production, and growth rate of ΔpksPT were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pksPT with the length of 8687 bp encoded a putative protein of 2690 amino acids, which is a non-reduced type III polyketide synthase and has some active domains with the arrangement of KS (β-ketosynthase)-AT (Acyltransferase)-ACP (Acyl carrier protein)-ACP-ME (Methyltransferase). The analysis of ΔpksPT displayed that it could generate cleistothecum and conidum normally and was unable to produce any kinds of Monascus pigments; compared to M7, the growth rate of ΔpksPT was increased obviously and the yield of citrinin in ΔpksPT was increased about 2. 8 times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  pksPT is of extremely importance to the biosynthetic pathways of Monascus pigments in M7 and the synthesis of Monascus pigments gives a significant effect on the produce of citrinin as well as the growth of M7.
authors.forename: Nana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yiping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fusheng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D032741:Monascus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D048630:Polyketide Synthases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D048630:Polyketide Synthases