title: The social network: deciphering fungal language.
abstract: It has been estimated that up to one quarter of the world's biomass is of fungal origin, comprising approximately 1.5 million species. In order to interact with one another and respond to environmental cues, fungi communicate with their own chemical languages using a sophisticated series of extracellular signals and cellular responses. A new appreciation for the linkage between these chemical languages and developmental processes in fungi has renewed interest in these signalling molecules, which can now be studied using post-genomic resources. In this Review, we focus on the molecules that are secreted by the largest phylum of fungi, the Ascomycota, and the quest to understand their biological function.
authors.affiliation: Plant and Microbial Biology Department, The University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3102, USA.
authors.forename: Abigail C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Leeder
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palma-Guerrero
authors.forename: N Louise
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Glass
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents