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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
A Catheter-Related Candida albicans Infection Model in Mouse
Published on: March 22, 2024
Human epithelial model systems for the study of Candida infections in vitro: part I. Adhesion to epithelial models
1Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, Stuttgart, Germany.
Abstract:
Adhesion to host tissue represents one of the first steps during the early phase of fungal infections. In order to mediate pathogenesis in the infected host, this process is crucial for colonization and subsequent penetration of the respective tissue. In vivo analyses of the adhesion process in whole organisms are limited because of difficulties in providing reproducible and comparable conditions in the host environment. Therefore, in vitro assays provide the opportunity to study such processes under more defined conditions thus allowing for the analysis of events that are involved in more detail. Here we describe an in vitro adhesion assay making use of human epithelial cell lines to study fungal associations with host epithelia. This assay not only is suited to determine the rate of adhesion in a time-dependent manner but also facilitates global transcriptional profiling in order to determine the fungal response during adhesion at the molecular level.
Insights
Fungal adhesion to host tissues is vital for infection. This study introduces an in vitro assay using human epithelial cells to analyze fungal adhesion and gene expression during early fungal infections.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Fungal adhesion to host tissues is a critical initial step in fungal pathogenesis, enabling colonization and invasion.
- Studying fungal adhesion in vivo is challenging due to difficulties in controlling host conditions.
- In vitro assays offer a controlled environment to dissect the molecular mechanisms of fungal-host interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an in vitro assay for studying fungal adhesion to human epithelial cells.
- To enable time-dependent quantification of fungal adhesion rates.
- To investigate the fungal transcriptional response during the adhesion process.
Main Methods:
- Utilized human epithelial cell lines as a model host tissue.
- Developed an in vitro assay to quantify fungal adhesion over time.
- Employed global transcriptional profiling to analyze fungal gene expression changes during adhesion.
Main Results:
- The developed in vitro assay accurately measures fungal adhesion rates in a time-dependent manner.
- The assay facilitates detailed analysis of fungal gene expression profiles during host cell association.
- This approach allows for the molecular characterization of fungal responses to epithelial surfaces.
Conclusions:
- The described in vitro assay is a valuable tool for studying the early stages of fungal infections.
- This method provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying fungal adhesion to host epithelia.
- The assay supports the investigation of fungal pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions.
