Photobiology of Fungi and Light Signaling

Fungi occupy terrestrial and aquatic habitats where light serves as both an energy source and an informational cue. Through specialised photoreceptors—such as opsins, phytochromes, cryptochromes and the White Collar Complex—fungi perceive ambient light quality, intensity and duration. These signals feed into cascades that regulate development, secondary metabolism, stress tolerance and circadian rhythms. In filamentous species, light cues coordinate sporulation, pigment production and pathogenesis, while in yeasts they trigger protective antioxidant responses. The integration of photobiological pathways influences ecological fitness, virulence on plant hosts and biotechnological processes such as fermentation and pigment synthesis. Advances in genomics, transcriptomics and gene editing have begun to unravel the molecular links between light perception and transcriptional networks. A deeper understanding of fungal light signalling has broad implications for crop protection, sustainable biomanufacturing and ecological management of fungal populations.

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Photobiology of Fungi and Light Signaling publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in photobiology of fungi and light signaling across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Photoreceptor: A protein that absorbs light of specific wavelengths to initiate intracellular signalling pathways.

White Collar Complex (WCC): A fungal blue‐light sensor formed by WC‐1 and WC‐2 transcription factors that drives light‐induced gene expression.

Opsin: A seven‐transmembrane receptor that detects light and activates downstream G‐protein‐mediated responses.

Cryptochrome: A flavin‐binding photoreceptor responsive to blue light, involved in circadian regulation and stress adaptation.

Phytochrome: A bilin‐binding photoreceptor sensitive to red and far‐red light, controlling developmental and metabolic processes.

References

1. The GATA transcription factor BcWCL2 regulates citric acid secretion to maintain redox homeostasis and full virulence in Botrytis cinerea. mBio (2024).
2. Light Stress in Yeasts: Signaling and Responses in Creatures of the Night. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
3. Genome-wide identification of the opsin protein in Leptosphaeria maculans and comparison with other fungi (pathogens of Brassica napus). Frontiers in Microbiology (2023).