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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
A Soluble Tetrazolium-Based Reduction Assay to Evaluate the Effect of Antibodies on Candida tropicalis Biofilms
Published on: September 16, 2022
Antigenicity of Candida tropicalis strain cells cultured at 27 and 37 degrees C
1Second Department of Hygienic Chemistry, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. okawa@tohoku-pharm.ac.jp
Abstract:
All cells of four Candida tropicalis strains IFO 0199 (Ct-0199), IFO 0587 (Ct-0587), IFO 1400 (Ct-1400), and IFO 1647 (Ct-1647), obtained by cultivation at 27 and 37 degrees C for 48 h in yeast extract-added Sabouraud liquid medium, showed the shapes of typical budding yeast and the same agglutination patterns against factor sera 1, 4, 5 and 6 in the commercially available kit 'Candida Check'. The cells of the C. tropicalis IFO 0589 strain display the same properties at 27 degrees C but formed hyphae at 37 degrees C. The cell wall mannan (Ct-0589-37-M) obtained from the strain cells cultured at 37 degrees C had lost most of its reactivity against factor sera 4, 5 and 6 in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in contrast to the mannan (Ct-0589-27-M) at 27 degrees C. The 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance patterns of the mannans obtained from the cells of the four C. tropicalis strains IFO 0199, IFO 0587, IFO 1400, and IFO 1647, obtained by cultivation at 37 degrees C, did not change compared to those at 27 degrees C. By contrast, the Ct-0589-37-M had significantly lost the beta-1,2-linked mannopyranose units, corresponding to the serum factors 5 and 6. These results show that the IFO 0589 strain is an unusual strain among the general C. tropicalis strains studied.
Insights
Culturing Candida tropicalis at 37°C altered cell wall mannan structure in one strain (IFO 0589), impacting its reactivity. This suggests IFO 0589 is an unusual Candida tropicalis strain compared to others studied.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Candida tropicalis is an opportunistic fungal pathogen.
- Cell wall composition, particularly mannan, plays a role in fungal cell surface interactions and immune recognition.
- Strain variability in Candida tropicalis can influence its pathogenic potential and diagnostic characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of temperature on the cell wall mannan structure and serological reactivity of different Candida tropicalis strains.
- To characterize an unusual Candida tropicalis strain (IFO 0589) exhibiting phenotypic changes at elevated temperatures.
Main Methods:
- Cultivation of Candida tropicalis strains at 27°C and 37°C.
- Serological agglutination testing using 'Candida Check' factor sera.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess mannan reactivity.
- 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to analyze mannan structure.
Main Results:
- Four Candida tropicalis strains (IFO 0199, 0587, 1400, 1647) maintained typical yeast morphology and consistent agglutination patterns across temperatures.
- Candida tropicalis IFO 0589 formed hyphae at 37°C and its cell wall mannan (Ct-0589-37-M) showed reduced reactivity to factor sera 4, 5, and 6 compared to mannan from 27°C culture (Ct-0589-27-M).
- 1H-NMR analysis revealed that Ct-0589-37-M significantly lacked beta-1,2-linked mannopyranose units, correlating with the loss of reactivity to serum factors 5 and 6.
Conclusions:
- Temperature significantly impacts the cell wall mannan structure and serological profile of the Candida tropicalis IFO 0589 strain.
- The observed changes in mannan structure and reactivity in IFO 0589 distinguish it from other common Candida tropicalis strains.
- This study highlights strain-specific variability in Candida tropicalis and its implications for fungal cell wall research and diagnostics.
