A reflection on ‘Nanoscale adhesion forces between the fungal pathogen Candida albicans and macrophages’

Abstract

Quantifying the nanoscale forces between pathogens (yeasts, bacteria and viruses) and human host cells is key to understanding the first stage of microbial infection, and offers promising prospects in nanomedicine for therapy. In 2016, we published an article in Nanoscale Horizons (S. El-Kirat-Chatel and Y. F. Dufrêne, Nanoscale Horiz., 2016, 1, 69–74, https://doi.org/10.1039/C5NH00049A) in which we established atomic force microscopy as a nanoscopy platform for studying the adhesion forces between the fungal pathogen Candida albicans and immune cells. The adhesion between the pathogen and macrophages was strong and primarily involved multiple specific molecular bonds between lectin receptors on the host membrane and mannan carbohydrates on the fungal cell surface. This paper has since then inspired many nanoscopy experiments that have led to a deeper understanding of the adhesion of various pathogens, from fungi to bacteria and viruses, to their target host cells. Collectively, these studies emphasise the importance of protein and glycan mechanobiology in regulating pathogen–host adhesion and infection, and offer promising prospects for the development of therapeutic approaches against intracellular pathogens.