Candida-host cell receptor-ligand interactions

Curr Opin Microbiol. 2006 Aug;9(4):333-9. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2006.06.005. Epub 2006 Jul 11.

Abstract

The interaction of Candida species with their cognate host receptors is a key factor in the pathogenesis of different types of candidiasis. The recognition of different forms of Candida albicans by Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 on mononuclear leukocytes has recently been discovered to determine the function and activity of regulatory T-cells, determine the balance of Type 1 and Type 2 cytokines and, thereby, influence the antifungal activity of both the innate and adaptive immune response. Different forms of C. albicans are also recognized by different lectins that are expressed on the surface macrophages. C. albicans and Candida glabrata express the ALS (agglutinin-like sequence) and EPA (epithelial adhesin) families of adhesins, respectively. A key difference between C. glabrata and C. albicans is that EPA expression in C. glabrata is governed by sub-telomeric silencing, whereas ALS expression in C. albicans is regulated by other mechanisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Candida / pathogenicity*
  • Humans
  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase / physiology
  • Ligands
  • Macrophages / physiology
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / physiology*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2 / physiology
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4 / physiology
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase
  • Ligands
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4