''Monascus'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''
Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...
, particularly
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
.
Species
* ''
Monascus albidulus
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus argentinensis
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus aurantiacus
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus barkeri
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus eremophilus
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus flavipigmentosus
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus floridanus
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus fumeus
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus lunisporas
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus mellicola
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus mucoroides
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus olei
''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and J ...
''
* ''
Monascus pallens''
* ''
Monascus paxii''
* ''
Monascus pilosus''
* ''
Monascus purpureus''
* ''
Monascus recifensis''
* ''
Monascus ruber''
* ''
Monascus rutilus''
* ''
Monascus sanguineus''
* ''
Monascus vini''
Phylogeny
Phylogeny as given by Bisby et al., 2000, who put the genus into a separate family
Monascaceae.
Monascus pigments and biosynthesis
''
Monascus purpureus'' derives its signature red color from mosascus pigment that is composed of
azaphilones or secondary fungal metabolites.
There are six primary compounds all with similar biosynthetic pathways, two yellow pigments, ankaflavin and monascin, two orange pigments monascorubin and rubropunctain, and two red pigments monascorubinamine and rubropunctaimine.
All six are produced with a combination of
polyketide synthase (PKS) and
fatty acid synthase (FAS) In the first step a hexekatide is formed through Type 1 PKS encoded by the Mripig A gene.
PKS uses the domains acyl transferase, acetyl-CoA, ketoacyl synthase, acyl transferase, acyl carrier protein and the base units of acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA to produce a ketone chain that undergoes Knoevenagel
aldol condensations.
The second step is the formation of a fatty acid through the FAS pathway.
The β-keto acid then undergoes a
trans-esterification reaction to form one of the two orange pigments. At this point the compound can either undergo reduction to form one of the yellow pigments or amination to form one of the red pigments.
References
Eurotiales
Eurotiomycetes genera
Taxa described in 1884
{{Eurotiomycetes-stub