Graduate Program in Pathobiology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02905, USA.
Med Mycol. 2013 Aug;51(6):641-51. doi: 10.3109/13693786.2013.770607. Epub 2013 Mar 14.
Recent in vitro studies have implicated galectin-3 as an important receptor in host recognition and response to specific Candida species; however, its role in protection against disseminated candidiasis in vivo has not been evaluated. This study investigated the importance of galectin-3 in host defense against systemic infection with the highly virulent species Candida albicans, and the less virulent species, C. parapsilosis. Mice deficient in galectin-3 (gal3-/-) were more susceptible to infection than wild-type (WT) mice. When infected with C. albicans, gal3-/- mice died significantly faster and exhibited a trend towards increased fungal burden and increased abscess formation in infected brains compared to WT mice. When infected with C. parapsilosis, gal3-/- mice had significantly higher renal fungal burdens and abscess formation compared to WT mice. To evaluate whether galectin-3 may contribute to susceptibility to candidiasis in human infants, galectin-3 levels in sera of newborn infants, a patient population uniquely susceptible to infections with both C. albicans and C. parapsilosis, were compared to serum galectin-3 levels of adults. Galectin-3 levels were significantly lower in newborn infant sera compared to adult sera. These data indicate that galectin-3 plays an important role in a murine model of disseminated candidiasis and suggest a potential mechanism of neonatal susceptibility to these infections.
最近的体外研究表明半乳糖凝集素-3 是宿主识别和对特定念珠菌物种反应的重要受体；然而，其在体内防御播散性念珠菌病中的作用尚未得到评估。本研究调查了半乳糖凝集素-3 在宿主防御对高毒力物种白色念珠菌和低毒力物种近平滑念珠菌全身感染中的重要性。缺乏半乳糖凝集素-3（gal3-/-）的小鼠比野生型（WT）小鼠更容易感染。当感染白色念珠菌时，gal3-/- 小鼠死亡速度明显加快，与 WT 小鼠相比，真菌负荷增加，感染大脑中的脓肿形成趋势增加。当感染近平滑念珠菌时，gal3-/- 小鼠的肾脏真菌负荷和脓肿形成明显高于 WT 小鼠。为了评估半乳糖凝集素-3 是否可能导致人类婴儿易患念珠菌病，比较了易受白色念珠菌和近平滑念珠菌感染的新生儿患者群体与成人血清中半乳糖凝集素-3 的水平。新生儿血清中的半乳糖凝集素-3 水平明显低于成人血清。这些数据表明，半乳糖凝集素-3 在播散性念珠菌病的小鼠模型中发挥重要作用，并提示新生儿易感染这些感染的潜在机制。
