Abstract: The covalently linked wall proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans and to a lesser extent of Candida glabrata have been extensively studied. Here we describe some of their main structural features and discuss their conservation in other ascomycetous fungi. We also discuss the hybrid nature of many wall proteins and the frequent occurrence of families of wall proteins with a common multi-domain structure. Finally, some quantitative data regarding wall proteins are presented. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.