New Insights in Candida albicans Innate Immunity at the Mucosa: Toxins, Epithelium, Metabolism, and Beyond

Aize Pellon, Shervin Dokht Sadeghi Nasab, David L. Moyes*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

69 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The mucosal surfaces of the human body are challenged by millions of microbes on a daily basis. Co-evolution with these microbes has led to the development of plastic mechanisms in both host and microorganisms that regulate the balance between preserving beneficial microbes and clearing pathogens. Candida albicans is a fungal pathobiont present in most healthy individuals that, under certain circumstances, can become pathogenic and cause everything from mild mucosal infections to life-threatening systemic diseases. As an essential part of the innate immunity in mucosae, epithelial cells elaborate complex immune responses that discriminate between commensal and pathogenic microbes, including C. albicans. Recently, several significant advances have been made identifying new pieces in the puzzle of host-microbe interactions. This review will summarize these advances in the context of our current knowledge of anti-Candida mucosal immunity, and their impact on epithelial immune responses to this fungal pathogen.

Original languageEnglish
Article number81
JournalFrontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
Volume10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Mar 2020

Keywords

  • Candida albicans
  • candidalysin
  • epithelial cells
  • IL-36 cytokine family
  • immunometabolism
  • innate immune memory
  • trained immunity

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