Phospholipases play multiple cellular roles including growth, stress tolerance, sexual development, and virulence in fungi.

Phospholipases are ubiquitous enzymes that hydrolyze phospholipids. Based on the cleavage site of the ester linkage in the substrate phospholipids, phospholipases are classified into four major types, phospholipase A (PLA), phospholipase B (PLB), phospholipase C (PLC), and phospholipase D (PLD), which are further classified into various subtypes. Phospholipases hydrolyze phospholipids into various signaling products including phosphatidic acid (PA), diacylglycerol (DAG), free fatty acids (FFAs), and lyso-phospholipids (LPLs). These signaling products regulate numerous processes such as cytoskeletal dynamics, growth, homeostasis, membrane remodeling, nutrient acquisition, secretion, signal transduction, stress tolerance, sexual development, and virulence in various organisms including fungi. Due to these key cellular roles, phospholipases are also promising targets in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In this review, we discuss current knowledge about the cellular roles of different classes of phospholipases in fungi.