Fungal volatile organic compounds.

Joan W Bennett, Geromy G Moore

Journal: Current biology : CB 2025;35(11):R508-R513

PMID: 40494305

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are carbon-based, low molecular weight compounds that easily enter the gaseous state due to their low boiling point and high vapor pressure. Biogenic VOCs are those metabolites made by or associated with living systems. In nature, these VOCs are detected as combined mixtures of varying amounts and concentrations of alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, modified amino acids, furans, terpenes, thiols and their derivatives. Many organisms use volatile compounds for signaling and defense, where they are variously called 'semiochemicals', 'infochemicals', 'allelochemicals' or 'pheromones'. In this Primer, we discuss what it means to be a VOC, especially with regard to VOC production by fungi.

Address: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].; Southern Regional Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, 1100 Allen Toussaint Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.03.007

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MeSH Terms: Volatile Organic Compounds, Fungi