title: The influence of carbohydrates in the interaction of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis with CCL-6 cells in vitro.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the early events in the interaction between Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and its host. To understand the effect of carbohydrates in the interaction between the fungus and epithelial cell in culture, we analyzed the influence of different carbohydrate solutions on the adhesion of P. brasiliensis yeast cells to CCL-6 cells in culture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fungal cells were cultivated with the epithelial cell line, and different concentrations of D-fucose, N-acetyl-glucosamine, D-mannose, D-glucosamine, D-galactosamine, sorbitol and fructose were added at the beginning of the experiment. Six hours after the treatment, the cells were fixed and observed by light microscopy. The number of P. brasiliensis cells that were adhered to the CCL-6 monolayer was estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of adhesion events was diminished following treatments with D-fucose, N-acetyl-glucosamine, D-mannose, D-glucosamine and D-galactosamine as compared to the untreated controls. Sorbitol and fructose-treated cells had the same adhesion behavior as the observed in the control. P. brasiliensis propagules were treated with fluorescent lectins. The FITC-labeled lectins WGA and Con-A bound to P. brasiliensis yeast cells, while SBA and PNA did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The perceptual of adhesion between P. brasiliensis and CCL-6 cells decreased with the use of D-mannose, N-acetyl-glucosamine and D-glucosamine. The assay using FITC-labeled lectins suggests the presence of N-acetyl-glucosamine, α-mannose and α-glucose on the P. brasiliensis cell surface. An enhanced knowledge of the mediators of adhesion on P. brasiliensis could be useful in the future for the development of more efficient and less harmful methods for disease treatment and control.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia, Centro de Estudos Superiores de Caxias, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Caxias, MA.
authors.forename: Francisco Laurindo da
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Raphael Sanzio
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Pimenta
authors.forename: Juliana Fonseca Moreira da
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Déborah Aparecida Negrão
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Corrêa
authors.forename: Ary
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corrêa Junior
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010228:Paracoccidioides / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates