title: Adaptation, adhesion and invasion during interaction of Candida albicans with the host--focus on the function of cell wall proteins.
abstract: Infectious diseases have long been regarded as losing their threat to mankind. However, in the recent decades infectious diseases have been regaining grounds and are back in the focus of research. This is also due to the fact that medical progress has enabled us to treat and cure a much higher fraction of severe diseases or trauma, resulting in a significant proportion of temporarily or constantly immune-suppressed patients. Infectious diseases result from the interplay between pathogenic microorganisms and the hosts they infect, especially their defense systems. Consequently, immune-suppressed patients are at high risk to succumb from opportunistic infections, like Candida infections. To study the balance between host and C. albicans with regard to the establishment of disease or asymptomatic, commensal colonisation, we developed host-pathogen interaction systems to study both the adaptation of C. albicans to different epithelia as well as to investigate the sensors of the innate immune system, the pattern recognition receptors. These host-pathogen interaction systems, as well as some of the results gained are described in this review.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Interfacial Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Nobelstr. 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Ekkehard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hiller
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zavrel
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burger-Kentischer
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lemuth
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rupp
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors