Fungal biorefinery is a popular method for producing advanced fabrics but is currently limited to leather alternatives and similar by the sheet-based nature of most fungal materials. Biopolymers in the fungal cell wall, such as chitin and chitosan, are only soluble in harsh chemicals, making established extrusion-based yarn production systems expensive and hazardous. The Japanese art of Shifu is used to produce fungal chitin-β-glucan yarns of varying linear density from engineered fungal sheets, enabling the production of yarns. Yarn mechanical strength is influenced by sheet precursor grammage and can be tuned using various chemical modifications such as glycerol-based plasticization. Yarns hybridized with nanocellulose exhibited low strength, stiffness, and ductility, due to weak interfacing with fungal sheets. With mechanical properties outperforming commercial cellulose paper yarns and on par with cotton and viscose yarns, fungal yarns produced from engineered sheets of fungal biomass using Shifu techniques represent a viable yarn candidate for a broad range of applications, yet unachieved using fungi, such as textiles, upholstery, and carpets for the fashion and décor sectors.

Signaling pathways in fungi offer a profound avenue for harnessing cellular communication and have garnered considerable interest in biomaterial engineering. Fungi respond to environmental stimuli through intricate signaling networks involving biochemical and electrical pathways, yet deciphering these mechanisms remains a challenge. In this review, an overview of fungal biology and their signaling pathways is provided, which can be activated in response to external stimuli and direct fungal growth and orientation. By examining the hyphal structure and the pathways involved in fungal signaling, the current state of recording fungal electrophysiological signals as well as the landscape of fungal biomaterials is explored. Innovative applications are highlighted, from sustainable materials to biomonitoring systems, and an outlook on the future of harnessing fungi signaling in living composites is provided.