{
  "abstract": "Monascus spp. produces valuable Monascus azaphilone pigments (MAs), which are widely used as natural food colorants. Although hyphal branching significantly influenced both mycelial growth and MAs biosynthesis, the regulatory mechanisms governing this process remained poorly understood. To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms controlling hyphal branching, a novel C₂H₂-type zinc finger transcription factor MrhbtA was identified in M. ruber M7. The mrhbtA gene deletion strain (ΔmrhbtA) and mrhbtA gene overexpression strain (OE::mrhbtA) were constructed by homologous recombination. Deletion of mrhbtA led to reduced hyphal branching and lowered extracellular MAs pigment yields, whereas the OE::mrhbtA strain displayed a hyperbranching phenotype with 40% more branches and enhanced production of azaphilone pigments. DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq) identified 121 target genes, of which 19 key regulators of cell wall organization and cell cycle control were determined to be positively regulated by MrhbtA. Based on these findings, a comprehensive regulation pathway of MrhbtA on hyphal development and MAs biosynthesis was proposed. In conclusion, MrhbtA served as a master regulator of hyphal morphology and MAs, and it represented a promising target for enhanced pigment production in industrial fermentation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430070, China.",
    "Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Traditional Fermented Foods, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430070, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zhihui Shang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xizhu Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yali Duan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wenrui Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Tingya Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mu Li"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/95nhzvp2me345.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.crmicr.2026.100675",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13744339",
  "id": "95nhzvp2me345",
  "issns": [
    "2666-5174"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999901",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1305|Microbial Metabolism and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223207480",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13744339?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13744339",
  "pmid": "42999901",
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/95nhzvp2me345.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T15:20:34Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42999901",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999901"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1305|Microbial Metabolism and Applications",
      "subfield": "systems-synthetic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "MrhbtA, a C₂H₂-type transcription factor, promotes hyphal branching and azaphilone biosynthesis in Monascus ruber M7.",
  "title_text": "MrhbtA, a C₂H₂-type transcription factor, promotes hyphal branching and azaphilone biosynthesis in Monascus ruber M7.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-10T03:20:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/95nhzvp2me345",
  "venue": "Current research in microbial sciences",
  "versions": []
}