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Updated: May 28, 2026
Clarifying and Imaging Candida albicans Biofilms
Published on: March 6, 2020
Mannan structural complexity is decreased when Candida albicans is cultivated in blood or serum at physiological
Douglas W Lowman1, Harry E Ensley, Rachel R Greene
1Department of Surgery, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, United States. doug@appridgeinternational.com
Abstract:
The Candida albicans cell wall provides an architecture that allows for the organism to survive environmental stress as well as interaction with host tissues. Previous work has focused on growing C. albicans on media such as Sabouraud or YPD at 30°C. Because C. albicans normally colonizes a host, we hypothesized that cultivation on blood or serum at 37°C would result in structural changes in cell wall mannan. C. albicans SC5314 was inoculated onto YPD, 5% blood, or 5% serum agar media three successive times at 30°C and 37°C, then cultivated overnight at 30°C in YPD. The mannan was extracted and characterized using 1D and 2D (1)H NMR techniques. At 30°C cells grown in blood and serum contain less acid-stable terminal β-(1→2)-linked d-mannose and α-(1→2)-linked d-mannose-containing side chains, while the acid-labile side chains of mannan grown in blood and serum contain fewer β-Man-(1→2)-α-Man-(1→ side chains. The decrement in acid-stable mannan side chains is greater at 37°C than at 30°C. Cells grown on blood at 37°C show fewer →6)-α-Man-(1→ structural motifs in the acid-stable polymer backbone. The data indicate that C. albicans, grown on media containing host-derived components, produces less complex mannan. This is accentuated when the cells are cultured at 37°C. This study demonstrates that the C. albicans cell wall is a dynamic and adaptive organelle, which alters its structural phenotype in response to growth in host-derived media at physiological temperature.
Insights
Candida albicans grown in host-derived media, like blood or serum, at 37°C alters its cell wall mannan structure. This results in less complex mannan, showing the cell wall
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Structural Biology
Background:
- The Candida albicans cell wall is crucial for survival and host interaction.
- Previous studies cultivated C. albicans in standard media at 30°C.
- Host colonization suggests potential environmental adaptations in cell wall structure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of host-derived media (blood, serum) and physiological temperature (37°C) on Candida albicans cell wall mannan structure.
- To test the hypothesis that cultivation in host-like conditions induces structural changes in mannan.
Main Methods:
- Candida albicans SC5314 was cultured on YPD, blood, and serum agar at 30°C and 37°C.
- Mannan was extracted from cells after successive cultivations and a final YPD growth phase.
- Structural characterization of mannan was performed using 1D and 2D (1)H NMR spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Cultivation in blood or serum at 30°C and 37°C reduced acid-stable and acid-labile mannan side chains.
- The reduction in mannan complexity was more pronounced at 37°C compared to 30°C.
- Cells grown on blood at 37°C exhibited fewer →6)-α-Man-(1→ motifs in the acid-stable polymer backbone.
Conclusions:
- Candida albicans produces less complex mannan when grown in host-derived media at physiological temperatures.
- The cell wall mannan structure is a dynamic and adaptive feature of C. albicans.
- Growth conditions significantly influence the structural phenotype of the C. albicans cell wall.
