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Candida albicans phospholipomannan is sensed through toll-like receptors

Thierry Jouault1, Stella Ibata-Ombetta, Osamu Takeuchi

  • 1Laboratoire de Mycologie Fondamentale et Appliquée, Inserm EMI0360, Université de Lille II, Lille, France. tjouault@univ-lille2.fr

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|June 26, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Candida albicans phospholipomannan (PLM) triggers immune responses. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is crucial for this recognition, highlighting PLM as a potential pathogen-associated molecular pattern.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Candida albicans is a commensal yeast that can cause severe infections in immunocompromised individuals.
  • The yeast cell surface features phospholipomannan (PLM), a glycolipid implicated in immune stimulation.
  • PLM induces tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production, linked to nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in mediating the immune response to C. albicans phospholipomannan (PLM).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized J774 mouse cells with gene deletions for TLR4, TLR6, and TLR2.
  • Incubated these cells with PLM to assess TNF-alpha production.
  • Analyzed the impact of TLR gene deletions on PLM-induced immune cell activation.

Main Results:

  • Wild-type cells showed significant TNF-alpha production upon PLM stimulation.
  • Deletion of TLR4 and TLR6 genes resulted in minor changes in the PLM response.
  • Complete abolition of the cellular response was observed in cells lacking the TLR2 gene.

Conclusions:

  • Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is essential for recognizing Candida albicans phospholipomannan (PLM).
  • PLM recognition by TLRs suggests its role as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP).
  • This finding contributes to understanding C. albicans pathogenesis and immune evasion strategies.

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