Light regulation of secondary metabolism in fungi

Journal of Biological Engineering

Review

Rongqiang Pei¹  Bin He¹  Yayi Tu¹  Yufei Zhang¹  Wenbin Yu¹ 

[1] Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, 330013, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China;

关键词: Light regulation;    Secondary metabolites;    VeA;    LaeA;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13036-023-00374-4

 received in 2023-07-03, accepted in 2023-08-22,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Fungi have evolved unique metabolic regulation mechanisms for adapting to the changing environments. One of the key features of fungal adaptation is the production of secondary metabolites (SMs), which are essential for survival and beneficial to the organism. Many of these SMs are produced in response to the environmental cues, such as light. In all fungal species studied, the Velvet complex transcription factor VeA is a central player of the light regulatory network. In addition to growth and development, the intensity and wavelength of light affects the formation of a broad range of secondary metabolites. Recent studies, mainly on species of the genus Aspergillus, revealed that the dimer of VeA-VelB and LaeA does not only regulate gene expression in response to light, but can also be involved in regulating production of SMs. Furthermore, the complexes have a wide regulatory effect on different types of secondary metabolites. In this review, we discussed the role of light in the regulation of fungal secondary metabolism. In addition, we reviewed the photoreceptors, transcription factors, and signaling pathways that are involved in light-dependent regulation of secondary metabolism. The effects of transcription factors on the production of secondary metabolites, as well as the potential applications of light regulation for the production of pharmaceuticals and other products were discussed. Finally, we provided an overview of the current research in this field and suggested potential areas for future research.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 1