Organ-specific phenotypes of Candida albicans: implications for immunity and pathogenesis

Organ-specific immune responses are shaped by tissue microenvironments, which instruct and regulate the behaviour of tissue-resident macrophages and lymphocytes. During infection, microbes are also influenced by tissue-specific environmental signals, which may influence host-microbe interactions and infection outcome. The pathogenic fungus Candida albicans undergoes significant adaptation within the host, associated with major genetic and phenotypic changes as a result of stress responses. These underlie the ability of this yeast to evade host immune responses and establish infection. Recent evidence has pointed to C. albicans phenotypic diversity directly influencing the host microenvironment and therefore localised immune responses. In this review, we discuss organ-specific mechanisms of antifungal defence and fungal tissue-specific phenotypes and stress responses during invasive infection. We focus on C. albicans, the best studied fungal infection in multiple organs, while highlighting lessons learned from other fungal pathogens to signal important future directions for the field.