Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Sexual Crosses with the Mucoromycete Phycomyces blakesleeanus
Published on: June 6, 2025
Fungal mating pheromones: choreographing the dating game
Stephen K Jones1, Richard J Bennett
1Graduate Program in Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, United States.
None:
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.
Related Concept Videos
Yeast Signaling
Mate Choice
Overview of Fungi
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Antifungal Agents
Fungal Group Zygomycota

