Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 6, 2026

An Ex vivo Assay to Study Candida albicans Hyphal Morphogenesis in the Gastrointestinal Tract
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An Ex vivo Assay to Study Candida albicans Hyphal Morphogenesis in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Published on: July 1, 2020

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Candida albicans releases a peptide from the Rbt1 protein to promote its invasion into the gut epithelium

Hervé Bègue1,2, Amandine Ducreux1, Tracy Paradis1

  • 1UMR PAM Univ Bourgogne Europe - Institut Agro Dijon - INRAE, Equipe Aliment, Fermentation, Interaction, Microbiote - AFIM, UFR Sciences de Santé, Dijon, France.

Gut Microbes
|October 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Candida albicans releases a peptide that disrupts intestinal cell adhesion, facilitating fungal invasion. This finding reveals a new mechanism for how this critical fungal pathogen breaches the gut barrier.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Candida albicans is a critical fungal pathogen prioritized by the WHO.
  • It can cause disseminated candidiasis, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
  • Interaction with intestinal cells is crucial for gastrointestinal candidiasis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the molecular mechanisms of Candida albicans interaction with intestinal epithelial cells.
  • To identify fungal factors involved in breaching the gut barrier.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell models.
  • Analyzed the effect of Candida albicans secreted peptides on cell-cell adhesion.
  • Investigated the downregulation of tight junction proteins, including ZO-1.

Main Results:

  • Candida albicans releases a peptide derived from the Repressed by Tup1 protein 1 (Rbt1).
  • This Rbt1 peptide disorganizes cell-cell adhesion junctions in intestinal epithelial cells.
  • The peptide downregulates key tight junction proteins like ZO-1, compromising the epithelial barrier.

Conclusions:

  • A secreted peptide from Candida albicans actively disrupts the intestinal epithelial barrier.
  • This mechanism facilitates fungal invasion into the host gut.
  • This study uncovers a novel strategy employed by pathogenic fungi to initiate infection.
Keywords:
Candida albicansRbt1enterocytestight junctions

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