Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Candida albicans Biofilm Development on Medically-relevant Foreign Bodies in a Mouse Subcutaneous Model Followed by Bioluminescence Imaging
Published on: January 27, 2015
Biological activity of interleukin-2 bound to Candida albicans
C B Treseler1, R T Maziarz, S M Levitz
1Evans Memorial Department of Clinical Research, Boston University Medical Center, Massachusetts 02118.
Insights
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) binds to Candida albicans, a fungus. This interaction enhances the immune response to fungal infections, suggesting a new therapeutic approach for candidiasis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Mycology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is crucial for cell-mediated immunity.
- IL-2 exhibits lectin-like properties, binding to mannose-rich structures.
- Candida albicans is a common fungal pathogen with a mannose-rich cell wall.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the binding of IL-2 to Candida albicans.
- To determine if IL-2's lectin-like properties mediate this binding.
- To assess the impact of IL-2 binding on host immune responses to C. albicans.
Main Methods:
- Incubation of heat-killed C. albicans with IL-2.
- Assay of CTLL20 cell proliferation in response to IL-2 treated fungi.
- Inhibition studies using soluble mannan.
- Assessment of IL-2 binding using radiolabeled IL-2 and inhibition assays.
- Evaluation of lymphoproliferative responses of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Main Results:
- IL-2 binding to C. albicans was confirmed.
- Soluble mannan inhibited IL-2 binding by approximately 60%, indicating a role for lectin-like interactions.
- IL-2 pre-incubation with C. albicans enhanced CTLL20 proliferation and augmented human mononuclear cell responses.
- IL-2 binding to C. albicans was reversible.
- No high-affinity IL-2 receptors were detected on C. albicans.
Conclusions:
- IL-2 can bind to Candida albicans in vitro, partly due to its lectin-like properties.
- This binding influences the host's immune response to C. albicans.
- Further in vivo studies are needed to determine the clinical relevance of IL-2-fungal interactions.
Abstract:
The lymphokine interleukin-2 (IL-2), which is necessary for the generation of an optimal cell-mediated immune response, has recently been shown to have lectinlike properties, with specificity for high-mannose groups. Therefore, the ability of IL-2 to bind to the mannose-rich fungus Candida albicans was examined. Heat-killed fungi preincubated with IL-2 stimulated, in a dose-dependent manner, proliferation of the IL-2-dependent cell line CTLL20. Soluble mannan, which is rich in exposed mannose groups, inhibited binding of IL-2 to C. albicans by approximately 60%, suggesting that the lectinlike properties of IL-2 are partially responsible for its fungal binding capacity. Binding of IL-2 to fungi appeared to be reversible, as C. albicans preincubated with IL-2 stimulated CTLL20 proliferation even when the fungi and cells were separated by an 0.4-microns-pore-size membrane. The lymphoproliferative response of normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to C. albicans was augmented when the fungus was preincubated with IL-2. Binding of 125I-IL-2 could not be inhibited by unlabeled IL-2, suggesting the absence of high-affinity receptors on C. albicans for IL-2. While the in vivo relevance remains to be determined, these data demonstrate that IL-2 can bind to C. albicans in vitro and thereby influence the host response to this medically important fungus.
