Advances in Chemical Epigenetic Modification Methods in the Study of Fungal Secondary Metabolites

Abstract: The secondary metabolites produced by fungi are an important resource for new drug development, and the biosynthesis of fungal secondary metabolites is closely related to the epigenetic status of the chromosomes in which their gene clusters are located. However, the induction of fungal silencing of gene expression is one of the challenges faced at this stage. Chemical epigenetic modification is a simple and effective method to regulate fungal metabolism by adding chemical epigenetic modifiers to the culture medium to activate silent metabolic pathways in the fungus, resulting in the production of cryptic natural products. This paper reviews the progress of research on increasing the chemical diversity of fungal secondary metabolites using chemical epigenetic modifications, with the aim of providing a reference for the in-depth study of fungal natural products.