Macdonald F, Odds F C
J Med Microbiol. 1980 Aug;13(3):423-35. doi: 10.1099/00222615-13-3-423.
The extracellular acid proteinase of Candida albicans was purified from culture filtrates by a single-column chromatographic step. The purity of the enzyme and its unique antigenic properties were confirmed by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and by reaction with homologous and heterologous anti-sera. The purified enzyme (PP), which was a carboxyl proteinase, contained mannan as an integral part of the molecule. C. albicans proteinase was detected in experimental candida kidney lesions by indirect immunoflourescence. Precipitating antibodies to PP and to cytoplasmic extract (CE) were detected in sera from rabbits with chronic, experimental, systemic candidosis; however precipitins to PP were not found in sera from infected rabbits in which tissue invasion was prevented by antifungal treatment. In retrospective tests with sera from healthy subjects and from patients with and without proven systemic candidosis a qualitative distinction between true and false-positive precipitins to PP was not found; however, whereas 72% of sera from proven cases of deep-seated candida infection had anti-PP titres greater than 4 and greater than or equal to anti-CE titres, these same quantitative criteria were met by only 15% of sera from patients for whom information of a diagnosis of candidosis was not available. The purified proteinase was therefore a more specific antigen than the widely used cytoplasmic extract for detection of antibodies in cases of candidosis.
白色念珠菌的细胞外酸性蛋白酶通过单柱色谱步骤从培养滤液中纯化出来。通过聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳以及与同源和异源抗血清反应，证实了该酶的纯度及其独特的抗原特性。纯化后的酶（PP）是一种羧基蛋白酶，其分子中含有甘露聚糖作为不可或缺的一部分。通过间接免疫荧光在实验性念珠菌肾损伤中检测到白色念珠菌蛋白酶。在患有慢性实验性全身性念珠菌病的兔子血清中检测到针对PP和细胞质提取物（CE）的沉淀抗体；然而，在接受抗真菌治疗防止组织侵袭的感染兔子血清中未发现针对PP的沉淀素。在对健康受试者以及有或没有确诊全身性念珠菌病患者的血清进行回顾性检测时，未发现针对PP的真阳性和假阳性沉淀素之间的定性差异；然而，72%确诊为深部念珠菌感染病例的血清抗PP滴度大于4且大于或等于抗CE滴度，而在无法获得念珠菌病诊断信息的患者血清中，只有15%满足这些相同的定量标准。因此，在念珠菌病病例中检测抗体时，纯化的蛋白酶比广泛使用的细胞质提取物是一种更具特异性的抗原。
