1 research outputs found
Evaluating Common Humoral Responses against Fungal Infections with Yeast Protein Microarrays
We profiled the global immunoglobulin
response against fungal infection
by using yeast protein microarrays. Groups of CD-1 mice were infected
systemically with human fungal pathogens (<i>Coccidioides posadasii</i>, <i>Candida albicans</i>, or <i>Paracoccidioides
brasiliensis</i>) or inoculated with PBS as a control. Another
group was inoculated with heat-killed yeast (HKY) of <i>Saccharomyces
cerevisiae</i>. After 30 days, serum from mice in the groups
were collected and used to probe <i>S</i>. <i>cerevisiae</i> protein microarrays containing 4800 full-length glutathione S-transferase
(GST)-fusion proteins. Antimouse IgG conjugated with Alexafluor 555
and anti-GST antibody conjugated with Alexafluor 647 were used to
detect antibody–antigen interactions and the presence of GST-fusion
proteins, respectively. Serum after infection with <i>C. albicans</i> reacted with 121 proteins: <i>C. posadasii</i>, 81; <i>P. brasiliensis</i>, 67; and after HKY, 63 proteins on the yeast
protein microarray, respectively. We identified a set of 16 antigenic
proteins that were shared across the three fungal pathogens. These
include retrotransposon capsid proteins, heat shock proteins, and
mitochondrial proteins. Five of these proteins were identified in
our previous study of fungal cell wall by mass spectrometry (<i>Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci.</i> <b>2012</b>, <i>1273</i>, 44–51). The results obtained give a comprehensive view of
the immunological responses to fungal infections at the proteomic
level. They also offer insight into immunoreactive protein commonality
among several fungal pathogens and provide a basis for a panfungal
vaccine