Interactions between macrophages and cell-wall oligosaccharides of Candida albicans

The fungal cell wall is the armour that protects the cell from changes in the external environment. The wall of Candida albicans, an opportunistic human pathogen, is also the immediate point of contact with the host immune system and contains most of the pathogen-associated molecular patterns recognised by innate immune cells. Along with the use of mutants altered in cell wall composition, the isolation and purification of cell wall components has proven useful in the identification of receptors involved in the sensing of these molecules, and assessment of the relative relevance of ligand-receptor interactions during the sensing of C. albicans by the immune system. Here, we describe protocols for the isolation of cell wall chitin, N-linked and O-linked mannans from C. albicans, and how they can subsequently be used to assess immunological activities such as phagocytosis and cytokine production by myeloid cells.