Cell Surface Receptors on Fungal Pathogens

Dear colleagues,

There are over 1.5 million fungal species that live in vastly different environmental niches, including many that can cause infections in humans or plants. Pathogens adapt to their surroundings by adjusting developmental processes in response to changing environmental conditions. One key element of this adaptation process involves cell surface receptors that are essential for sensing extracellular signals (such as nutrients, pheromones, and stress) and controlling intracellular signaling pathways that regulate cell development and virulence. The field has made strides in identifying novel cell surface receptors and understanding ligand–receptor interactions, which help to define the relationship between fungal pathogens and their hosts. As cell surface receptors are in general more dictinct compared to intracellular signaling and metabolic pathways, and their accessible location is favorable for drug binding, receptors may represent a potentially rich source of targets for the development of novel therapeutics. Therefore, the study of fungal cell surface receptors is a highly exciting area of research that may help to harness the ligand–receptor interface for novel antifungal development. To increase our awareness of this topic, we offer this Special Issue to emphasize progress in cell receptors that are important for fungal pathogens.

Dr. Chaoyang Xue
Dr. Julian Rutherford
Guest Editors

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