Disease relevance of Monascus

• Protective effect of the mold Monascus anka against acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity in rats [1].
• In this research, a simple and quick selection method for mutant strains with low citrinin production was designed based on the fact that citrinin possesses antibacterial activity for Bacillus subtilis and will form an inhibition zone around the colony of the Monascus strain [2].

High impact information on Monascus

• Dimerumic acid as an antioxidant of the mold, Monascus anka [3].
• Polyketide synthase gene responsible for citrinin biosynthesis in Monascus purpureus [4].
• The effect of temperature, pH, and sodium chloride concentration on the growth of the Ascomycetes fungus Monascus ruber van Tieghem, the main spoilage microorganism during storage of table olives, was studied by using the gradient plate technique [5].
• A strain of Monascus was grown in submerged, shaken culture using a glucose-salts mediumn [6].
• RESULTS: At week 8, Monascus purpureus Went rice therapy reduced LDL-C by 27.7%, total cholesterol by 21.5%, triglycerides by 15.8% and apolipoprotein B by 26.0% [7].

Biological context of Monascus

• The producing strain Monascus ruber M 4681 was found to convert exogenously added monacolin L to J. In this hydroxylation reaction 18O2 was incorporated into monacolin L, giving [18O]-monacolin J [8].
• To enhance the variety of genetic tools and thus to promote molecular genetic study, aureobasidin A and its resistance gene were adopted as a new marker system together with the incorporation of the Gateway system to facilitate the introduction of long heterologous DNA fragments into Monascus purpureus [9].
• Growth kinetics and red pigment production of Monascus purpureus CCT 3802 was studied [10].

Anatomical context of Monascus

• Induction of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and glutathione S-transferase in cultured fetal rat hepatocytes by laccaic acid and monascus pigments [11].
• Nitric oxide-mediated endothelium-dependent relaxation of rat thoracic aorta induced by aqueous extract of red rice fermented with Monascus ruber [12].

Associations of Monascus with chemical compounds

• During submerged culture in the presence of glucose and glutamate, the filamentous fungus Monascus ruber produces water-soluble red pigments together with citrinin, a mycotoxin with nephrotoxic and hepatoxic effects on animals [13].
• The natural colorant area can be subdivided into anthocyanins, betalains, chlorophylls, carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, Monascus, hemes, quinones, biliproteins, safflower, turmeric, and miscellaneous [14].
• No patient in the Monascus purpureus Went rice treatment group had an alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or creatine phosphokinase (CPK) measurement that was > or = 3 times the upper limit of normal at week 4 and week 8 [7].
• Monacolin K, a new hypocholesterolemic agent produced by a Monascus species [15].
• Monascus purpureus NTU 601 is a strain that produces monacolin K, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and citrinin under solid culture conditions [2].

Gene context of Monascus

• A characterization of a non-pigment producing mutant Monascus purpureus M12 compared with its parental strain Monascus purpureus Went CBS 109.07 has been performed aiming to investigate the relation between pigment biosynthesis and other characteristics of these fungi [16].
• This is also the first report of isolation of a chitinase from a Monascus species [17].
• Monascus purpureus IB1 produces about 50-fold higher levels of azaphilone pigments than M. purpureus NRRL1596 [18].
• Purification and characterization of a new type of serine carboxypeptidase from Monascus purpureus [19].
• Using a synthetic oligonucleotide probe, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gpd1) was cloned from Monascus purpureus KCCM11832 [20].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Monascus

• Cloning and sequence analysis of putative glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene from Monascus purpureus KCCM11832 [20].
• Monascus purpureus was transformed into hygromycin B resistance with hygromycin B phosphotransferase (hph) fused to Aspergillus nidulans trpC or a putative Monascus purpureus gpd1 promoter by electroporation [21].

References