Summary of the physiological processes influenced by vegetative growth signaling. The pathway is regulated positively through extracellular sporulation factor(s) (ESF) produced by the FluG protein, which inhibits the activity of the transcriptional regulator SfgA. In the absence of ESF, flbA expression is repressed by SfgA, and FadA is maintained in its activated form. The active vegetative growth signaling pathway, when the environmental factors are satisfactory, stabilizes filamentous growth of the colonies; meanwhile sexual and asexual reproductions as well as the productions of some secondary metabolites (e.g., aflatoxin/sterigmatocystin, gliotoxin) are repressed and some other ones (e.g., penicillin) are stimulated. P: phosphorous; AF/ST: aflatoxin/sterigmatocystin.