Biosynthesis and Applications of Fungal Perylenequinones

Fungal perylenequinones comprise a distinctive family of polyketide secondary metabolites characterised by a conjugated perylene core. Biosynthesis is initiated by non‐reducing polyketide synthases that iteratively assemble and cyclise acetate‐derived units, often accompanied by tailoring enzymes that install oxygen functionalities and form the characteristic dimeric ring system. These pigments exhibit potent photosensitising activity: upon illumination they transfer energy to molecular oxygen, generating reactive oxygen species that mediate antimicrobial, antitumour and photodynamic therapy effects. Advances in genome mining and transcriptomics have elucidated gene clusters responsible for perylenequinone assembly, while synthetic biology approaches have enabled heterologous expression in yeast and filamentous hosts. Strategies such as light and chemical elicitation, co-culture with bacteria and amino acid supplementation further regulate biosynthetic gene expression. The convergence of molecular genetics, metabolic engineering and bioprocess optimisation promises sustainable production of perylenequinones for applications ranging from phototherapy to agricultural biocontrol and photocatalysis.

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Biosynthesis and Applications of Fungal Perylenequinones publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biosynthesis and applications of fungal perylenequinones across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Perylenequinones: Pigmented fungal polyketides with a perylene ring system that generate reactive oxygen species upon light activation.

Polyketide synthase (PKS): A multi‐domain enzyme complex that catalyses iterative condensation and cyclisation of acyl units to assemble polyketide backbones.

Photosensitiser: A compound that, when excited by light, transfers energy to molecular oxygen to produce cytotoxic species for therapeutic or antimicrobial use.

Elicitor: A physical or chemical stimulus that activates or enhances the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in microorganisms.

Mycelium culture: A laboratory‐grown network of fungal hyphae used to study metabolic pathways and optimise secondary metabolite production.

References

1. Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the biosynthesis of a fungal pigment from the phytopathogenic fungus Cladosporium phlei. Journal of Biological Engineering (2024).
2. Nitric oxide mediates red light-induced perylenequinone production in Shiraia mycelium culture. Bioresources and Bioprocessing (2024).
3. Effects of branched-chain amino acids on Shiraia perylenequinone production in mycelium cultures. Microbial Cell Factories (2023).
4. Inducing perylenequinone production from a bambusicolous fungus Shiraia sp. S9 through co-culture with a fruiting body-associated bacterium Pseudomonas fulva SB1. Microbial Cell Factories (2019).