Intestinal epithelial regulation of Candida albicans commensalism

白色念珠菌是一种真菌和常见的肠道居民（“共生”），通常不会引起疾病（事实上它可能是有益的）。然而，当肠道状况恶化时（如克罗恩病），白色念珠菌可成为致病性并使疾病恶化。居住在肠道的白色念珠菌与肠上皮细胞（IECs）直接接触。肠内皮细胞有多种类型，每一种都在保持肠道健康方面发挥着不同的作用。例如，iec确保各种肠道微生物，如细菌和肠道寄生虫（蠕虫）不会引起疾病。令人惊讶的是，我们不知道IECs是如何确保白色念珠菌作为共生菌维持的。在这个项目中，我们将在其他共生体（如细菌）的背景下剖析白色念珠菌和IECs之间的关系。这将识别维持白色念珠菌共生的细胞和分子。然后，我们将测试白色念珠菌是否会改变iec控制对其他肠道威胁（如蠕虫）的反应的能力。这些发现将改变我们对白色念珠菌与IECs之间关系及其对寄生虫共感染的影响的理解。这些具有令人兴奋的潜力，可以改变我们诊断和治疗肠道疾病的方法。”

"Candida albicans is a fungus and a common intestinal resident ("commensal") and usually does not cause disease (in fact it may be beneficial). However, when intestinal conditions deteriorate (e.g. Crohn's disease), C. albicans can become pathogenic and worsen disease. Gut residing C. albicans are in direct contact with cells that line the intestines, called intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). There are various types of IECs, each play a distinct role in keeping the intestines healthy. For example, IECs ensure that a variety of gut microbes, such as bacteria and intestinal parasitic worms (helminths) do not cause disease. Surprisingly, we do not know how IECs ensure C. albicans is maintained as a commensal.In this project we will dissect the relationship between C. albicans and IECs in the context of other commensals (e.g. bacteria). This will identify cells and molecules that maintain C. albicans as a commensal. We will then test whether C. albicans alters the ability of IECs to control responses to other intestinal threats (e.g. helminths). These findings will transform our understanding of the relationship between C. albicans and IECs and its impact on parasitic co-infections. These have the exciting potential to transform our approach for diagnosing and treating intestinal diseases."