title: Adhesion of Candida albicans to epithelial cells--effect of nikkomycin.
abstract: This study investigated the effect of the chitin synthetase inhibitors, the nikkomycins (NZ and NZ+NX), on Candida albicans adhesion to buccal epithelial cells (BECs) in vitro. The effect was expressed in reduced chitin synthetase activity and chitin content of fungal cells. In vitro adhesion assays to BECs of Candida exposed to NZ and NZ+NX revealed reduced adhesion values. Light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) of NZ-treated and untreated micro-organisms showed changed fungal morphology and reduced adherence of the treated yeasts. Scanning electron microscopy of NZ-treated C. albicans labelled with gold-conjugated wheatgerm agglutinin (WGA) revealed less labelling than in the untreated organisms. A close contact between the fungus and the epithelial cell at a site with intense WGA-gold labelling was noted in TEM experiments. The data point to the involvement of chitin in the adhesion of C. albicans to epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Microbiology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Segal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Altboum
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gov
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Berdicevsky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002687:Chitin Synthase / Q000032:analysis; D004848:Epithelium / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; C011952:nikkomycin; D002687:Chitin Synthase