Fig. 5: Tight regulation of ECE1 expression ensures long-term colonization by evading the inflammatory immune response.
From: Dynamic expression of candidalysin facilitates oral colonization of Candida albicans in mice
a, ECE1 expression by SC5314WT or SC5314eed1Δ/Δ exposed to TR146 keratinocytes for 0, 2, 4, 8 or 24 h. Each symbol represents the mean ± s.d. (n = 3 per group). b–h, C57Bl/6 WT mice associated with SC5314WT, SC5314eed1Δ/Δ or 101WT for 8 h (b), 1 day (c,e,f, h) or 7 days (g). Tongue CFU (b, c, g, n = 4 or 6 per group). Representative PAS-stained histology sections (d). Quantification of tongue neutrophils (CD45+Ly6G+Ly6C−) and inflammatory monocytes (CD45+Ly6G−Ly6C+) by flow cytometry (e, n = 4 or 6 per group). Cxcl2 and Il1b host transcripts (f) and ECE1, SAP5 and HWP1 fungal transcript (h) in the colonized tongue tissue (f,h, n = 6, 8 or 10 per group; g, n = 3 or 6 per group). Each symbol represents the mean per group ± s.d. (b) or mean per group ± s.e.m. (c,e,h). i, Competitive colonization of C57BL/6 WT mice with 101WT_mCherry and SC5314eed1Δ/Δ (1:1 ratio) for 7 days; n = 4 per group. Connected symbols are 101WT_mCherry and SC5314eed1Δ/Δ CFU per individual animal. j,k, SC5314WT, 101WT and 101OE_EED1 on spider agar at 37 °C, 5% CO2, for 5 days (j) or in serum-containing medium (med) for 24 h before quantification of the ECE1 transcript by RT-qPCR (k; n = 3 per group; mean ± s.d.). l–n, C57Bl/6 WT mice associated with 101WT or 101OE_EED1. Tongue CFU on day 1 and day 7 (l, n = 4 or 6 per group; mean ± s.d.). Representative PAS-stained histology sections on day 1 (m). Proportion of inflammatory foci (myeloid infiltrates) per fungal colonization site relative to the total number of CFU per tongue (n, n = 5 per group; mean ± s.e.m.). In d and m, the black arrows indicate fungal elements and the orange arrows indicate inflammatory infiltrates. Data are pooled from 2 to 3 independent experiments except for b, i and k. In h, data for SC5314WT and 101WT are the same as those shown in Fig. 2d. The statistical significance of differences between groups was determined by two-way ANOVA (a,l), ordinary one-way ANOVA (c,e,f,g,h), two-sided Mann–Whitney test (b), unpaired two-tailed t-test (n) or paired two-tailed t-test (i).
