Abstract
Neurospora crassa has been generally recognized as a safe organism and possesses a remarkable ability to produce yellow-to-orange carotenoids. The present work mainly explored the potential mechanism of exogenous oleic acid on promoting lycopene production in N. crassa. Carbon flux was conducively channelized into the mevalonate metabolic pathway to synthesize more lycopene, associating with the increased levels of acetyl-CoA, NADPH and factors related to the mevalonate pathway. Additionally, exogenous oleic acid boosted the intracellular triacylglycerol production through de novo and ex novo fatty acid synthesis pathways, which contributed to improving the accumulation of lycopene via lipid bodies. Further, the regulated fatty acid profile also enhanced the storage capacity of lipid bodies. Consequently, this study provided an effective strategy to enhance the lycopene production in N. crassa by adding oleic acid to the culture medium and elucidated an extraordinary insight into the potential mechanism.