Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are highly conserved from yeast to human and are required for the regulation of a multitude of biological processes in eukaryotes. A pentameric MAPK pathway known as the Fus3 pheromone module was initially characterised in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and was shown to regulate cell fusion and sexual development. Individual orthologous pheromone module genes have since been found to be highly conserved in fungal genomes and have been shown to regulate a diverse array of cellular responses, such as cell growth, asexual and sexual development, secondary metabolite production and pathogenicity. However, information regarding the assembly and structure of orthologous pheromone modules, as well as the mechanisms of signalling and their biological significance is limited, specifically in filamentous fungal species. Recent studies have provided insight on the utilization of the pheromone module as a central signalling hub for the co-ordinated regulation of fungal development and secondary metabolite production. Various proteins of this pathway are also known to regulate reproduction and virulence in a range of plant pathogenic fungi. In this review, we discuss recent findings that help elucidate the structure of the pheromone module pathway in a myriad of fungal species and its implications in the control of fungal growth, development, secondary metabolism and pathogenicity.

从酵母到人类，丝裂原活化蛋白激酶 (MAPK) 通路是高度保守的，并且是调节真核生物中的多种生物过程所必需的。一种称为 Fus3 信息素模块的五聚体 MAPK 通路最初在酿酒酵母中表征并被证明可以调节细胞融合和性发育。此后发现单个直系同源信息素模块基因在真菌基因组中高度保守，并已被证明可调节多种细胞反应，例如细胞生长、无性和有性发育、次级代谢产物的产生和致病性。然而，关于直系同源信息素模块的组装和结构以及信号传导机制及其生物学意义的信息是有限的，特别是在丝状真菌物种中。最近的研究提供了关于利用信息素模块作为协调调节真菌发育和次级代谢产物产生的中央信号枢纽的见解。还已知该途径的各种蛋白质在一系列植物病原真菌中调节繁殖和毒力。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了最近的发现，这些发现有助于阐明无数真菌物种中信息素模块途径的结构及其在控制真菌生长、发育、次生代谢和致病性方面的意义。