Because Monascus pigments (MPs) predominantly accumulate in the cytoplasm during submerged fermentation, many biotechnologies are applied to enhance the production of extracellular MPs (exMPs) to reduce the downstream processing costs. In this study, the genes monascus_7017 and monascus_8018, identified as ERG4 genes, were knocked out to disrupt the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway and enhance the production of exMPs in Monascus purpureus LQ-6. Double-deletion of EGR4 in M. purpureus LQ-6 reduced ergosterol concentration by 57.14% and enhanced exMP production 2.06-fold. In addition, integrated ...