Differential adherence of hydrophobic and hydrophilic Candida albicans yeast cells to mouse tissues

Abstract

Using an ex vivo binding assay, we previously demonstrated that yeast cells grown at 37 degrees C display binding specificity in mouse spleen, lymph node, and kidney tissues. In spleen and lymph node tissues, binding was predominantly in regions rich in macrophages. Here, we tested the possibility that hydrophobic and hydrophilic cells bind differentially to host tissues. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic yeast cells of four Candida albicans strains were incubated for 15 min at 4 degrees C with cryostat sections of organs that had been rapidly frozen after removal from BALB/cByJ mice. Unattached cells were removed by washing, and the sections were examined. Hydrophobic cells bound diffusely and abundantly to all tissues, while hydrophilic cell attachment was restricted to specific sites. For example, hydrophobic cells bound to the white and red pulp and the marginal zones in spleens, whereas hydrophilic cells attached primarily to the marginal zones. Hydrophobic yeast cells attached throughout lymph node tissue including paracortical areas, but hydrophilic cell attachment occurred primarily at the subcapsular and trabecular sinuses, EDTA inhibited the adherence of hydrophilic cells but not hydrophobic cells to mouse tissues. Hydrophobic C. albicans strains displaying similar levels of hydrophobicity differed quantitatively in their levels of attachment to kidney and spleen tissues, confirming our earlier observation that surface hydrophobicity is not the sole determinant in adherence to host cells. Other studies have shown that hydrophobic and hydrophilic cells display different virulence characteristics related to their surface properties and that hydrophobic cells are more virulent than hydrophilic cells. Taken together, the present results suggest that the enhanced virulence of hydrophobic cells over hydrophilic cells may be due, in part, to the potential of hydrophobic cells to bind throughout various organs following clearance from the bloodstream.

Altered adherence in strains of Candida albicans harbouring null mutations in secreted aspartic proteinase genes

“…Adhesion of C. albicans is known to be a complex, multifactorial property dependent on a multiplicity of recognition systems and surface receptors such as surface integrin-like molecules [23,24]. In addition, general biophysical properties of the cell such as cell surface hydrophobicity [25] and electrostatic charge [26,27] can a¡ect adhesion. Therefore it is not surprising that pepstatin A treatment and the disruption of individual SAP genes had only a partial e¡ect on yeast cell adherence.…”

“…A somewhat smaller reduction in adherence in the presence of pepstatin A was observed for cells attaching to Matrigel and human BECs. It is likely that interactions between C. albicans yeast cells and these surfaces involves speci¢c receptor-ligand interactions such as those mediated via speci¢c mannan residues, RGD peptides and integrin interactions [24] as well as hydrophobic interactions [25], all of which are likely to be una¡ected by pepstatin A.…”

Contribution of cell surface hydrophobicity protein 1 (Csh1p) to virulence of hydrophobicCandida albicansserotype A cells

“…The mechanisms by which CSH modulates virulence appear myriad. Hydrophobic cells compared to hydrophilic cells are more adherent to epithelial and endothelial cells as well as extracellular matrix proteins and are more resistant to phagocytic killing [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Hyphae, which have been shown to enhance virulence, are also highly hydro-phobic while the parent yeast cell may become hydrophilic [9,10].…”

Cell surface hydrophobicity of Candida albicans isolated from elder patients undergoing denture‐related candidosis

“…Some of these proteins confer to the fungal cells the capacity to adhere to the host cells or to inanimate substrata, increase the resistance against macrophages and germination competence 7 , that is essential to the establishment of chronic lesions. Also, C. albicans cells with high cell surface hydrophobicity rates, so-called hydrophobic cells, present increased chances of adherence to different host tissues compared with cells with low rates, or that are hydrophilic 8 .…”