title: Gene expression in HL60 granulocytoids and human polymorphonuclear leukocytes exposed to Candida albicans.
abstract: Candida albicans is an opportunistic human pathogen causing both superficial and disseminated diseases. It is a dimorphic fungus, switching between yeast and hyphal forms, depending on cues from its microenvironment. Hyphae play an important role in the pathogenesis of candidiasis. The host's response to Candida infection is multifaceted and includes the participation of granulocytes as key effector cells. The aim of this investigation was to study host gene expression during granulocyte-Candida interaction. Effector cells were generated by the granulocytic differentiation of HL60 cells. The resulting cell population was shown to be morphologically and functionally equivalent to granulocytes and is therefore referred to as HL60 granulocytoids for the purposes of this study. Gene expression profiles were determined 1 h after hosts were infected with C. albicans. Three Candida-granulocytoid ratios were chosen to reflect different degrees of HL60 granulocytoid inhibition of C. albicans. The data demonstrate that at the high pathogen-host ratio, C. albicans modulated the HL60 granulocytoid's response by downregulating the expression of known antimicrobial genes. In addition, looking at the expression of a large number of genes, not all of which have necessarily been implicated in candidastatic or candidacidal mechanisms, it has been possible to describe the physiological response of the HL60 granulocytoid to an infectious challenge with C. albicans. Finally, some of the observed changes in HL60 granulocytoid gene expression were investigated in freshly isolated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes infected with C. albicans. Similar changes were seen in these primary human cells, lending support to the validity of this model.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Institute, Montréal, Québec H4P 2R2, Canada. alaka.mullick@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca
authors.forename: Alaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mullick
authors.forename: Miria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.forename: Penelope
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Harakidas
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcil
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Whiteway
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: Antoine W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bourget
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Picard
authors.forename: Orce
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Jovcevski
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Massie
authors.forename: David Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D018922:HL-60 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D011506:Proteins