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Dressed to impress: impact of environmental adaptation on the C andida albicans cell wall
Author(s) -
Hall Rebecca A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/mmi.13020
Subject(s) - biology , candida albicans , pathogen , cell wall , innate immune system , immune system , adaptation (eye) , microbiology and biotechnology , fungal pathogen , corpus albicans , host (biology) , cell , immunology , ecology , genetics , neuroscience
Summary C andida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans causing superficial mucosal infections and life‐threatening systemic disease. The fungal cell wall is the first point of contact between the invading pathogen and the host innate immune system. As a result, the polysaccharides that comprise the cell wall act as pathogen associated molecular patterns, which govern the host–pathogen interaction. The cell wall is dynamic and responsive to changes in the external environment. Therefore, the host environment plays a critical role in regulating the host–pathogen interaction through modulation of the fungal cell wall. This review focuses on how environmental adaptation modulates the cell wall structure and composition, and the subsequent impact this has on the innate immune recognition of C . albicans .