Candida albicans induces IFNb expression in female genital tract epithelial cells

RODRIGUEZ, EMILSE; VIGEZZI, CECILIA; MIRÓ, MARÍA SOLEDAD; ICELY, PAULA ALEJANDRA; GATTI, GERARDO; MACCIONI, MARIANA; SOTOMAYOR, CLAUDIA ELENA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LXIV Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología; 2016

Type I interferons (IFNs-I) constitute a family of pleiotropic cytokines best known for their ability to induce an antiviral state and by coordinating the immune cells involved in antiviral or antibacterial immunity. IFNs-I are produced after virus or bacteria recognition by TLRs and recent studies demonstrate that fungal recognition through CTL receptors also induce activation of the IFNs-I in professional APC. Candida albicans (Ca) is the most common cause of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) that affects approximately 75% of women worldwide. We aimed to study whether Ca recognition induces IFNs-I in epithelial cells of female genital tract in order to establish a possible role during VVC. For this purpose human cervical epithelial cell line (HeLa) were stimulated with: Ca SC5314 strain (infective)(fungus: cell ratio 0.25:1, 0.5:1,1:1, 5:1), Ca treated with Amphotericin B (Ca-AMB) (non-infective) (5:1), Ca DNA complexed with polyethylenimine (Ca DNA-PEI), Zymosan and Poly I:C for 24h. IFNb, IRF3, IRF7 and Mx1 mRNA levels were measured by qPCR and cytokine profile (IL1b, IL6, TNFa and TGFb) by ELISA. Poly I:C was able to induce a strong IFNb mRNA expression in HeLa cells (p<0.01). Unexpectedly, viable but non-infective Ca-AMB was able to induced a high IFNbmRNA expression on epithelial cells (p<0.05). Interestingly, Ca DNA-PEI delivered into the cytoplasm of HeLa cells also induced higher IFNb mRNA levels compared with untreated cells (p<0.05). Poly I:C and Ca-AMB induced strong expression of Mx1 mRNA (p<0,001). Moreover, infective Ca Sc5314 strain, Ca DNA-PEI and Poly I:C induced high IL6 levels (p<0,001). While TNFa and TGFb amounts were variable among different stimuli, IL1b remained undetectable. These results provide novel and important evidence about the ability of both, C.albicans cell wall component s and fungal DNA to trigger IFNb production in epithelial cells, and expands the spectrum of immune mediators involved in the local response during VVC.