Molecular Organization and Construction of the Fungal Cell Wall

The fungal wall accounts for about 20–30% of the cellular dry weight and thus represents a major investment for the cell in terms of metabolic energy. It is responsible for the shape of the cell, offers protection against mechanical damage, and functions as a molecular sieve. Furthermore, it may contain adhesive proteins involved in bundling hyphae into macroscopic structures, in recognizing mating partners or host cells, or in binding to the substratum. Cell wall proteins may also confer hydrophobic properties to the cell surface. Various reviews and books have discussed the fungal cell wall and its properties (Kuhn et al. 1990; Peberdy 1990; Fleet 1991; Ruiz-Herrera 1992; Sentandreu et al. 1994; Sietsma and Wessels 1994; Wessels 1994; Gooday 1995; for earlier work see Wessels and Sietsma 1981). In this review, we will focus on recent developments and try to present them against the background of older work.