Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Th17 Inflammation Model of Oropharyngeal Candidiasis in Immunodeficient Mice
Published on: February 18, 2015
Antigen-restricted Candida albicans Th17 cells link oral-gut immunity and adopt pathogenic features during intestinal
Gabriela Rios Martini1, Philipp Hofmann1, Ann-Kristin Kamps1
1Institute of Medical Immunology, Christian-Albrecht-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany; Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrecht-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
Abstract:
The commensal yeast Candida albicans is a major inducer of human mucosal Th17 cells. How C. albicans drives Th17 cell responses at homeostasis, and whether such responses contribute to inflammatory diseases, remains poorly understood. Here, we showed that C. albicans-reactive Th17 cells targeted a limited set of proteins enriched in fungal extracellular vesicles. At homeostasis, these cells predominantly resided in the oral mucosa. However, T cell receptor profiling revealed shared clonotypes across oral and gut tissues, with C. albicans being a major driver of this repertoire overlap. In patients with Crohn's disease, C. albicans-specific Th17 cells with features of oral priming were enriched in intestinal tissues, where they retained their focused antigen specificity but acquired pathogenic Th17 cell traits. Together, our results reveal a stable, antigen-restricted C. albicans Th17 subset that is shared across mucosal sites and undergoes functional adaptation in the inflamed intestine. These cells represent a potential target for immune modulation in Crohn's disease.
Related Concept Videos
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
Candidiasis
Cell-mediated Immune Responses
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
Gastritis II: Pathophysiology
