Open AccessCandida albicans cell wall components and farnesol stimulate the expression of both inflammatory and regulatory cytokines in the murine RAW264.7 macrophage cell line
Author(s) -
Ghosh Suman,
Howe Nina,
Volk Katie,
Tati Swetha,
Nickerson Kenneth W.,
Petro Thomas M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2010.00717.x
Subject(s) - farnesol , candida albicans , zymosan , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , tlr2 , corpus albicans , macrophage , cytokine , innate immune system , tumor necrosis factor alpha , phagocytosis , immune system , immunology , biochemistry , in vitro
Candida albicans causes candidiasis, secretes farnesol, and switches from yeast to hyphae to escape from macrophages after phagocytosis. However, before escape, macrophages may respond to C. albicans ' pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) through toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) and dectin‐1 receptors by expressing cytokines involved in adaptive immunity, inflammation, and immune regulation. Therefore, macrophages and the RAW264.7 macrophage line were challenged with C. albicans preparations of live wild‐type cells, heat‐killed cells, a live mutant defective in hyphae formation, a live mutant producing less farnesol, or an isolate producing farnesoic acid instead of farnesol. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and IL‐1β, IL‐10, and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) expression were evaluated by ELISA and/or qRT‐PCR within 6 h after challenge. All viable strains producing farnesol, regardless of hyphae phenotype, induced IL‐6, IL‐1β, IL‐10, and TNF‐α. To determine which components of C. albicans induced IL‐6, RAW264.7 cells were incubated with farnesol, farnesoic acid, with or without zymosan, a yeast cell wall preparation that contains PAMPs recognized by TLR2 and dectin‐1. The highest expression of IL‐6, TLR2, and dectin‐1 occurred when RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with zymosan and farnesol together. Our results suggest that the rapid expression of cytokines from macrophages challenged with C. albicans is due to cell‐wall PAMPs combined with farnesol.