Dr. Jennifer Hall is the corresponding author for a new publication in Pathogens
and Disease. “Dectin-1 stimulating β-glucans inhibit Chlamydia infections both in
vitro and in vivo” examines interkingdom microbial interactions of Candida albicans
and Chlamydia trachomatis. The team explored pathways in which the fungal microbiome
might influence Ch. trachomatis infectivity. Given the high incidence of chlamydial
infections and the ubiquitous nature of Ca. albicans in the vaginal microbiome, there
are ample opportunities for these organisms to encounter one another during chlamydial
transmission and infection. However, very few studies have examined the interactions
between these microbial neighbors.
Dr. Hall states, “Previously, we investigated physical interactions between Ch. trachomatis elementary bodies (EBs) and Ca. albicans. This work indicated that EBs bind to Ca. albicans and become noninfectious by 24 hours post-binding. We continue our investigation in this study. Overall, our data demonstrate that β-glucans from multiple species, including Ca. albicans, inhibit Chlamydia via stimulation of host-signaling pathways.” In this study, the researchers demonstrated that EBs bind to specific proteins on the surface of Ca. albicans and that exposure of EBs to β-glucans prior to or early during infection inhibits chlamydial host cell entry and progeny production in vitro and in vivo. These findings support the important concept that microbial interactions can potentially influence pathogen growth in the body.
Dr. Hall is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. She is a member of the Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity.
Authors (CIIDI members and student members are in BOLD): Jennifer Kitner, Morgan Callaghan, Lillith Bulawa, Angela Chu, Zuchao Ma, David L. Williams, Robert V. Schoborg, Michael D. Kruppa, Jennifer V. Hall
*Candida albicans β-glucans inhibit chlamydial infection in cervical cells. HeLa cultures were infected with C. trachomatis + H2O or Candida albicans β-glucans (CaBG). At 48 hours post infection the cultures were harvested for immunostaining (A) or EB titer assays (B). (A) Fixed monolayers were stained with BioRad Pathfinder stain, MOMP (green), host cells (red), and DAPI nuclear stain (blue). Representative images are shown (40 x magnification).(B) Data shown are mean inclusion forming units (IFU) ml-1± SEM (n = 6-9). Means were compared by ANOVA and T-tests.**p≤0.01.