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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
A Soluble Tetrazolium-Based Reduction Assay to Evaluate the Effect of Antibodies on Candida tropicalis Biofilms
Published on: September 16, 2022
Antibody-based strategy to identify Candida albicans genes expressed during infections
Cornelius J Clancy1, Shaoji Cheng, M Hong Nguyen
1University of Florida College of Medicine and North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Abstract:
Investigators have long used antibody-based screening strategies to identify Candida albicans immunogenic proteins and the genes that encode them during infections. With the recent availability of the C. albicans genome sequence and the development of genomic and proteomic technologies, it is now possible to efficiently conduct large-scale screening in standard research labs. C. albicans proteins and genes identified with a variety of screening methods have been implicated as important determinants of candidal virulence and exploited as vaccine and therapeutic targets. In this chapter, we describe methods used in our lab, in which sera recovered from patients with candidiasis are used to screen a C. albicans genomic DNA expression library. Immunoreactive colonies are detected by reaction with anti-human immunoglobulin, and the corresponding open reading frames are identified using the genome sequence database. The methods are also suitable for use with cDNA expression libraries, and they are complementary to proteomic screening strategies described elsewhere in this volume.
Insights
Researchers identified immunogenic proteins and genes of Candida albicans using patient sera and genomic DNA expression libraries. This approach aids in discovering targets for candidiasis vaccines and therapies.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Genomics
Background:
- Antibody-based screening has historically identified immunogenic proteins and genes in Candida albicans.
- Advancements in genomic and proteomic technologies enable efficient large-scale screening.
- Identified C. albicans proteins and genes are crucial for virulence and serve as targets for vaccines and therapeutics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a method for screening Candida albicans genomic DNA expression libraries using patient sera.
- To identify immunogenic proteins and genes of C. albicans relevant to candidiasis.
Main Methods:
- Screening of a C. albicans genomic DNA expression library with sera from candidiasis patients.
- Detection of immunoreactive colonies using anti-human immunoglobulin.
- Identification of open reading frames via the C. albicans genome sequence database.
Main Results:
- Successful identification of immunogenic C. albicans proteins and genes.
- The described method is suitable for cDNA expression libraries.
- This approach complements existing proteomic screening strategies.
Conclusions:
- The described antibody-based screening method efficiently identifies C. albicans immunogenic targets.
- This technique is valuable for candidiasis research, vaccine development, and therapeutic strategies.
- The integration of genomic and serological approaches enhances the discovery of virulence factors.
