In vitrohost transcriptomics duringCryptococcus neoformans,Cryptococcus gattii, andCandida albicansinfection of South African volunteers

Abstract

AbstractCryptococcus neoformans,Cryptococcus gattiiandCandida albicansare opportunistic fungal pathogens associated with infections in immunocompromised hosts. Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is the leading fungal cause of HIV-related deaths globally, with the majority occurring in Africa. The human immune response toC. albicansinfection has been studied extensively in large genomics studies whereas cryptococcal infections, despite their severity, are comparatively understudied. Here we investigated the transcriptional response of immune cells afterin vitrostimulation within vitro C. neoformans,C. gattiiandC. albicansinfection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from healthy South African volunteers. We found a lower transcriptional response to cryptococcal stimuli compared toC. albicansand unique expression signatures from all three fungal stimuli. This work provides a starting point for further studies comparing the transcriptional signature of CM in immunocompromised patients, with the goal of identifying biomarkers of disease severity and possible novel treatment targets.