title: Important factors mediates the adhesion of aspergillus fumigatus to alveolar epithelial cells with E-cadherin.
abstract: Aspergillus is widely distributed in the Earth's biosphere. It has strong adaptive capacity, and lives as saprophytic or parasitic life. This study aims to investigate the role of E-cadherin for adhesion of Aspergillus fumigatus blastospores in a human epithelial cell line (A549) and search the correlated molecule in aspergillus. A. fumigatus blastospores were incubated with the total protein of A549 to investigate the binding of E-cadherin and blastospores followed by an affinity purification procedure. After establishing the adhesion model, the adhesion of A. fumigatus blastospores by A549 cells was evaluated by down-regulating E-cadherin of A549 cells with small interfering RNA (siRNA). FVB mice constructed with E-cadherin down-regulation were infected with aspergillus fumigatus. Preliminary exploration of E-cadherin interacting protein on the surface of aspergillus fumigates by immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analysis. E-cadherin was adhered to the surface of A. fumigatus blastospore. Adhesion of the blastospores was reduced by blocking or down-regulating E-cadherin in A549 cells. E-cadherin showed limited significance in the process of mice against aspergillus fumigates. Mass spectrometry (MS) analysis indicated the following proteins AFUA_8G07080, AfA24A6.130c, XP_747789 can bind to E-cadherin. In conclusion, E-cadherin is a receptor for adhesion of A. fumigatus blastospores in epithelial cells. This may open a new approach to treat this fungal infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, PLA Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yong
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, PLA Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, PLA Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, PLA Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, PLA Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Bei-Lei
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: A549; E-cadherin; adherence; aspergillus fumigates; receptor