Contribution of a novel gene to lysergic acid amide synthesis in Metarhizium brunneum.

Objective: The fungus Metarhizium brunneum produces ergot alkaloids of the lysergic acid amide class, most abundantly lysergic acid α-hydroxyethylamide (LAH). Genes for making ergot alkaloids are clustered in the genomes of producers. Gene clusters of LAH-producing fungi contain an α/β hydrolase fold protein-encoding gene named easP whose presence correlates with LAH production but whose contribution to LAH synthesis in unknown.