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Fungal iron availability during deep seated candidiasis is defined by a complex interplay involving systemic and

Joanna Potrykus1, David Stead, Donna M Maccallum

  • 1Aberdeen Fungal Group, School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.

Plos Pathogens
|October 23, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Host nutritional immunity, the withholding of nutrients, shapes interactions during fungal infections. This study reveals complex iron dynamics in the kidneys during systemic candidiasis, impacting host-pathogen interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Immunology
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions

Background:

  • Nutritional immunity is crucial in host-pathogen interactions.
  • Nutrient dynamics during fungal infections are not well understood.
  • Iron homeostasis plays a key role in host defense.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate iron homeostasis during systemic candidiasis.
  • To define nutrient availability in renal niches during fungal infection.
  • To understand host-pathogen iron dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Combined laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP MS), MALDI imaging, immunohistochemistry, and microtranscriptomics.
  • Utilized a murine model of systemic candidiasis.
  • Employed laser capture microdissection and qRT-PCR for gene expression analysis.

Main Results:

  • Systemic candidiasis caused significant changes in renal iron distribution.
  • Iron accumulated in the renal medulla, while the renal cortex exhibited iron exclusion zones around fungal lesions.
  • These iron exclusion zones correlated with immune cell infiltrates and heme oxygenase-1 expression.
  • Fungal lesions showed a switch in iron acquisition mechanisms due to local nutritional immunity.

Conclusions:

  • Systemic and local host factors create a complex iron landscape during fungal infection.
  • Nutritional immunity in the kidney influences fungal iron uptake strategies.
  • Understanding iron dynamics is critical for managing systemic candidiasis.

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