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Light sensing and responses in fungi

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 17, pages 25–36 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Light controls important physiological and morphological responses in fungi. Fungi can sense near-ultraviolet, blue, green, red and far-red light using up to 11 photoreceptors and signalling cascades to control a large proportion of the genome and thereby adapt to environmental conditions. The blue-light photoreceptor functions directly as a transcriptional regulator in the nucleus, whereas the red-light-sensing and far-red-light-sensing phytochrome induces a signalling pathway to transduce the signal from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Green light can be sensed by retinal-binding proteins, known as opsins, but the signalling mechanisms are not well understood. In this Review, we discuss light signalling processes in fungi, their signalling cascades and recent insights into the integration of light signalling pathways with other regulatory circuits in fungal cells.

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Fig. 1: Photoreceptors in filamentous fungi and overview of light-controlled processes.
Fig. 2: Light responses in model fungi.
Fig. 3: Structure of fungal photoreceptors and their chromophores.
Fig. 4: Current model of light responses in fungi.
Fig. 5: Links between light signalling pathways and other cellular pathways.

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Acknowledgements

The work of the authors’ laboratory was supported by the German Science Foundation (DFG Fi 459/19-1) and the China Scholar Council (CSC). The authors thank A. Diernfellner (Heidelberg) and J. Schumacher (Münster) for Neurospora crassa strains and providing some images for Fig. 2.

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Nature Reviews Microbiology thanks A. Herrera-Estrella, J. Loros and the other anonymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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  1. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) — South Campus, Institute for Applied Biosciences, Department of Microbiology, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Zhenzhong Yu & Reinhard Fischer

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Z.Y. and R.F. researched data for the article, made substantial contributions to discussions of the content, wrote the article and reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission.

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Glossary

Chromophore

An organic molecule that absorbs light in the visible spectrum. Photoreceptors are proteins containing a chromophore, which upon light absorption cause structural changes of the attached protein.

Flavin

An organic molecule with a characteristic tricyclic heterocycle (isoalloxazine).

Linear tetrapyrrole

An organic molecule composed of four five-atom rings. They can be cyclic, as in haemoglobin, or linear, like in biliverdin.

Phytochrome

A protein that contains a linear tetrapyrrole as a chromophore and absorbs red and far-red light. It is the main photosensor of plants and controls morphogenesis.

Circadian clock

Describes a stable oscillation synchronized by light. The period is approximately (circa) a day (diem).

Sporangiophore

The morphological structure of fungi that produce (resistant) spores, which are small entities for dispersal or for survival.

Cryptochrome

A flavin-binding protein that senses blue light and is involved in circadian rhythms in higher eukaryotes.

Photolyase

An enzyme that repairs DNA damage caused by ultraviolet light. The enzyme contains flavin as cofactor and itself requires blue light for activity.

Photoadduct

A chromophore that attaches covalently to a protein.

Photoadaptation

The phenomenon in which after light signalling the system becomes insensitive for a certain time.

Rhodopsins

The photosensors of the retina. Rhodopsins contain retinal as a chromophore. Rhodopsins are also found in lower eukaryotes and in archaea.

FRQ

A negative regulator of the circadian clock in fungi. Oscillation of transcription of clock-controlled genes requires the positive element, white collar 1 (WC-1), and the negative FRQ protein.

Cleistothecia

The fruiting body of ascomycetes. Spores are produced after meiosis.

Conidiation

The process of the formation of vegetative (asexual) spores. Usually special morphological structures, the conidiophores, are produced, which generate the conidia.

Sclerotia

A multicellular structure used for survival of some fungi. In Botrytis cinerea, it is the prerequisite for sexual fruiting body (apothecia) formation.

High osmolarity glycerol pathway

(HOG pathway). A signalling pathway that is required for the adaptation of yeast and other organisms to high osmolarity conditions.

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Yu, Z., Fischer, R. Light sensing and responses in fungi. Nat Rev Microbiol 17, 25–36 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-018-0109-x

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