Chemotropic sensing in fungus-plant interactions

Growth of fungal hyphae is guided by a variety of chemical gradients, including nutrients, mating pheromones or host compounds. Over 100 years after chemotropism was first reported in fungus-plant interactions, our knowledge on the host signals, fungal receptors and cellular pathways is still rudimentary. Genetic analysis in the model organisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurospora crassa has provided valuable insights into the chemotropic machinery of the fungal hypha. Moreover, recent studies in the root-infecting pathogen Fusarium oxysporum reveal an unanticipated complexity in chemotropic sensing of nutrient sources, peptide pheromones and host plant signals.