Abstract
Monacolin K (MK), which is widely used as an antihypercholesterolemia medicine, is produced as a fungal secondary metabolite through the polyketide pathway. The MK biosynthetic gene cluster proposed for Monascus pilosus BCRC38072 was also identified in M. pilosus NBRC4480. The mokB gene, located at the end of the putative gene cluster and possibly encoding polyketide synthase, was disrupted. The mokB disruptant did not produce MK, but accumulated an intermediate that was confirmed to be monacolin J, indicating that mokB encodes the polyketide synthase responsible for the biosynthesis of side-chain diketide moiety.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Sports, Culture, Science, and Technology (MEXT) of Japan, and by a grant from the Japan-Thailand program from MEXT, the National Research Council of Thailand, and the National Science and Technology Development Agency of Thailand.
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Sakai, K., Kinoshita, H. & Nihira, T. Identification of mokB involved in monacolin K biosynthesis in Monascus pilosus . Biotechnol Lett 31, 1911–1916 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-009-0093-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-009-0093-3