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Review
. 2024 Aug:80:102508.
doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102508. Epub 2024 Jul 10.

Epithelial responses to fungal pathogens

Kathleen A M Mills  1 , Mariano A Aufiero  2 , Tobias M Hohl  3
Affiliations
Review

Epithelial responses to fungal pathogens

Kathleen A M Mills et al. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Epithelial cells orchestrate immune responses against fungal pathogens. This review highlights advances in integrating epithelial cells in immune responses against inhaled molds and dimorphic fungi, and against Candida species that colonize mucosal surfaces. In the lung, epithelial cells respond to interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interferon signaling to regulate effector cell influx and fungal killing. In the alimentary and vulvovaginal tracts, epithelial cells modulate fungal commensalism, invasive growth, and local immune tone, in part by responding to damage caused by candidalysin, a C. albicans peptide toxin, and through IL-17-dependent release of antimicrobial peptides that contribute to Candida colonization resistance. Understanding fungal-epithelial interactions in mammalian models of disease is critical to predict vulnerabilities and to identify opportunities for immune-based strategies to treat fungal infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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