Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Cell Host Microbe. 2012 May 17;11(5):447-56. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2012.04.004.
Only two decades ago antibodies to fungi were thought to have little or no role in protection against fungal diseases. However, subsequent research has provided convincing evidence that certain antibodies can modify the course of fungal infection to the benefit or detriment of the host. Hybridoma technology was the breakthrough that enabled the characterization of antibodies to fungi, illuminating some of the requirements for antibody efficacy. As discussed in this review, fungal-specific antibodies mediate protection through direct actions on fungal cells and through classical mechanisms such as phagocytosis and complement activation. Although mechanisms of antibody-mediated protection are often species-specific, numerous fungal antigens can be targeted to generate vaccines and therapeutic immunoglobulins. Furthermore, the study of antibody function against medically important fungi has provided fresh immunological insights into the complexity of humoral immunity that are likely to apply to other pathogens.
仅仅二十年前，人们还认为真菌抗体在对抗真菌感染方面作用甚微或毫无作用。然而，后续研究提供了确凿的证据表明，某些抗体可以改变真菌感染的进程，从而对宿主有利或有害。杂交瘤技术是使对真菌抗体进行特征描述成为可能的突破，阐明了抗体有效性的一些要求。正如本综述所讨论的，真菌特异性抗体通过对真菌细胞的直接作用以及吞噬作用和补体激活等经典机制来介导保护作用。尽管抗体介导的保护机制通常具有物种特异性，但许多真菌抗原可以被靶向以产生疫苗和治疗性免疫球蛋白。此外，针对重要医学真菌的抗体功能研究为体液免疫的复杂性提供了新的免疫学见解，这些见解可能适用于其他病原体。
