Abstract

All living organisms use numerous signal-transduction systems to sense and respond to their environments and thereby survive and proliferate in a range of biological niches. Molecular dissection of these signalling networks has increased our understanding of these communication processes and provides a platform for therapeutic intervention when these pathways malfunction in disease states, including infection. Owing to the expanding availability of sequenced genomes, a wealth of genetic and molecular tools and the conservation of signalling networks, members of the fungal kingdom serve as excellent model systems for more complex, multicellular organisms. Here, we review recent progress in our understanding of how fungal-signalling circuits operate at the molecular level to sense and respond to a plethora of environmental cues.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Bioinformatics and Life Science, Soongsil University, Seoul 156-743, Korea.
2. Departments of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, 322 CARL Building, Box 3546, Research Drive, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
3. Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
4. Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.

Correspondence to: Joseph Heitman^2,3,4 Email: heitm001@duke.edu

Correspondence to: Maria E Cardenas² Email: carde004@mc.duke.edu