A gene regulating ergot alkaloid biosynthesis in <i>Metarhizium brunneum</i>

Ergot alkaloids produced by several species of fungi are important as contaminants of food and feed in agriculture and also as the foundation of numerous pharmaceuticals prescribed for dementia, migraines, hyperprolactinemia, and several other disorders. Information on control of the ergot alkaloid pathway may contribute to strategies to limit their production in agricultural settings or increase their yield for pharmaceutical production. Our results demonstrate that a previously uncharacterized gene clustered with the ergot alkaloid synthesis genes is required for the sufficient transcription of the ergot alkaloid biosynthesis genes. This observation suggests the gene encodes a factor regulating transcription of those biosynthetic genes.