Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 gp41 Binds to Candida albicans via Complement C3-like Regions

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 1997-08, Vol.176 (2), p.492-498
• Main Authors: Würzner, Reinhard, Gruber, Andreas, Stoiber, Heribert, Spruth, Martin, Chen, Ying-Hua, Lukasser-Vogl, Elisabeth, Schwendinger, Michael G., Dierich, Manfred P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Amino Acid Sequence; Antibodies; Binding, Competitive; Biological and medical sciences; Candida albicans; Candida albicans - metabolism; Complement C3 - genetics; Complement C3 - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HeLa Cells; HIV; HIV 1; HIV Core Protein p24 - analysis; HIV Envelope Protein gp41 - genetics; HIV Envelope Protein gp41 - metabolism; HIV-1 - metabolism; Humans; Major Articles; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Monoclonal antibodies; Mouth; Recombinant Proteins; Rosette formation; Transfection; Virology; Viruses
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/514069

Oral candidiasis in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected persons is believed to be caused by the acquired T lymphocyte immunodeficiency. The direct interaction of C. albicans and HIV-1 in vitro was investigated. Twice as many yeasts adhered to cells transfected with the HIV-1 env gene as they did to controls. HIV-1 rsgpl60 and rsgp41 but not rsgpl20 were found to bind to Candida albicans via two C3-like regions within gp41. Normal human serum, but not C3depleted serum, was able to inhibit rsgp41 binding to C. albicans. Vice versa, rsgpl60 and rsgp41 were able to block resetting of C. albicans with iC3b-coated sheep erythrocytes. Binding to C. albicans, and its inhibition by rsgp41 or rsgpl60, was confirmed for the whole virus. Therefore, oral candidiasis in HIV-1-infected subjects may be augmented or may even be initiated by direct interaction between C. albicans and HIV-1 or HIV-1-infected cells.