title: Candida albicans-epithelial interactions: dissecting the roles of active penetration, induced endocytosis and host factors on the infection process.
abstract: Candida albicans frequently causes superficial infections by invading and damaging epithelial cells, but may also cause systemic infections by penetrating through epithelial barriers. C. albicans is a remarkable pathogen because it can invade epithelial cells via two distinct mechanisms: induced endocytosis, analogous to facultative intracellular enteropathogenic bacteria, and active penetration, similar to plant pathogenic fungi. Here we investigated the contributions of the two invasion routes of C. albicans to epithelial invasion. Using selective cellular inhibition approaches and differential fluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate that induced endocytosis contributes considerably to the early time points of invasion, while active penetration represents the dominant epithelial invasion route. Although induced endocytosis depends mainly on Als3-E-cadherin interactions, we observed E-cadherin independent induced endocytosis. Finally, we provide evidence of a protective role for serum factors in oral infection: human serum strongly inhibited C. albicans adhesion to, invasion and damage of oral epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knoell Institute Jena (HKI), Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wächtler
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Citiulo
authors.forename: Nadja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jablonowski
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Förster
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dalle
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hube
mesh_terms: D001790:Blood Physiological Phenomena; D015820:Cadherins / Q000502:physiology; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D004705:Endocytosis; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: C113620:ALS3 protein, Candida albicans; D015820:Cadherins; D005656:Fungal Proteins