Abstract
Innate immunity provides essential protection against life-threatening fungal infections. However, the outcomes of individual skirmishes between immune cells and fungal pathogens are not a foregone conclusion, because some pathogens have evolved mechanisms to evade phagocytic recognition, engulfment and killing. For example, Candida albicans can escape phagocytosis by activating cellular morphogenesis to form lengthy hyphae that are challenging to engulf. Through live imaging of C. albicans-macrophage interactions we discovered that macrophages can counteract this by folding fungal hyphae. The folding of fungal hyphae is promoted by Dectin-1, β2-integrin, VASP, actin-myosin polymerisation and cell motility. Folding facilitates the complete engulfment of long hyphae in some cases and it inhibits hyphal growth, presumably tipping the balance towards successful fungal clearance.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e2020484118 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | PNAS |
Volume | 118 |
Issue number | 15 |
Early online date | 5 Apr 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 Apr 2021 |
Keywords
- Macrophages
- fungal hyphae
- mechanical force
- immunological synapse
- podosomes
- cytoskeleton
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Microscopy and Histology
Debbie Wilkinson (Manager) & Gillian Milne (Manager)
Medical SciencesResearch Facilities: Facility