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Modes of sexual reproduction in eukaryotic organisms are extremely diverse.The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans undergoes a phenotypic switch from the white to the opaque phase in order to become mating-competent.Here,we report that functionally- and morphologically-differentiated white and opaque cells show a coordinated behavior during mating.Although white cells are mating-incompetent,they can produce sexual pheromones when treated with pheromones of the opposite mating type or by physically interacting with opaque cells of the opposite mating type.In a co-culture system,pheromones released by white cells induce opaque cells to form mating projections,and facilitate both opposite- and same-sex mating of opaque cells.