Fungal mating pheromones: Choreographing the dating game

Pheromones are ubiquitous from bacteria to mammals – a testament to their importance in regulating inter-cellular communication. In fungal species, they play a critical role in choreographing interactions between mating partners during the program of sexual reproduction. Here, we describe how fungal pheromones are synthesized, their interactions with G protein-coupled receptors, and the signals propagated by this interaction, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a reference point. Divergence from this model system is compared amongst the ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, which reveals the wealth of information that has been gleaned from studying pheromone-driven processes across a wide spectrum of the fungal kingdom.

► We compare and contrast pheromone signaling in ascomycetes and basidiomycetes.
► Pheromones regulate both heterothallic and homothallic modes of fungal mating.
► MAPK signaling is conserved, yet finer aspects of mating regulation differ between species.
► Plasticity in pheromone signaling can drive evolution of new modes of sexual reproduction.