title: Mechanisms and target sites of damage in killing of Candida albicans hyphae by human polymorphonuclear neutrophils.
abstract: Target sites of fungal cell damage were studied to define mechanisms of neutrophil-mediated killing of Candida albicans hyphae. Neutrophils induced hyphal cell wall damage, as evidenced by release of cell wall glycoproteins and confocal microscopic changes. Damage occurred in the presence of neutrophil granule extracts and did not require oxidants. However, oxidation of hyphal surface glycoproteins correlated strongly with parallel increments in fungicidal activity, suggesting that oxidants did contribute to maximal cell wall damage. Neutrophil oxidants also induced hyphal DNA fragmentation, primarily single-strand breakage, as shown by increased electrophoretic migration after nuclease-S1 DNA digestion at single-strand break sites. The onset of damage to hyphal cell walls and DNA preceded detectable neutrophil-mediated fungicidal effects. Likewise, hyphal amino acid and nucleotide turnover as well as ATP initially rose, then declined as lethal effects became detectable. Thus, preceding detectable fungal cell death, neutrophil oxidative and oxygen-independent mechanisms damaged defined targets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts 02118, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Christin
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Wysong
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meshulam
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Diamond
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D019921:Biotinylation; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006105:Granulomatous Disease, Chronic / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D009861:Onium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D009895:Opsonin Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016877:Oxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D015719:Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D009711:Nucleotides; D009861:Onium Compounds; D009895:Opsonin Proteins; D016877:Oxidants; C007517:diphenyleneiodonium; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D015719:Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases