CONTRIBUTION OF FUNGAL VIRULENCE FACTORS AND FUNGAL RECOGNITION RECEPTORS IN THE REGULATION OF THE EXPRESSION OF HUMAN BETA DEFENSINS 1 AND 3

ANGIOLINI SC; RODRIGUEZ EMILSE; MIRÓ MS; ICELY PA; SOTOMAYOR CE

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencias 2022; 2022

Sociedades de Biociencias. SAIC, SAI, SAFIS

Acute vulvovaginal candidiasis (AVVC) is an inflammatory disease that affects up to 75% of women of childbearing age once in their lifetime, but 9% of them present a recurrent form of mycosis (RVVC) (>=4 episodes per year). Candida albicans (Ca) is the most prevalent agent, its main virulence factors are hyphal formation, adherence, hydrolytic enzyme generation and biofilm forming capacity (BFC). Human β-defensins 1 and 3 (hBDs) are cationic peptides with antimicrobial and chemoattractant activity. Our aim was to characterize the virulence pattern of Ca clinical isolates from AVVC and RVVC patients and the role of Ca virulence factors and innate recognition in the regulation of hBDs. BFC, lipase activity (LIP) and aspartylproteinases activity (SAP) of strains isolated from patients (CVVR=20 and CVVA=20), collection strains (SC5314 and ATCC36801) and β-glucan mutation (FKS1) were evaluated. Ca, heat-killed Candida (HKC) strains or fungal PAMPs agonists (LPS, Pam3CSK4, Zymosan,Curland) were added to HeLa cell cultures and modulation of hBDs 1 and 3 (2 or 4h) was determined by qPCR and protein expression (INCell Analyzer2500 HS). CVVR strains showed lower CBF than CVVA and Ca-SC5314 (p