Candida albicans Hyphal Extracellular Vesicles Are Different from Yeast Ones, Carrying an Active Proteasome Complex and Showing a Different Role in Host Immune Response
Raquel Martínez‐López, María Luisa Hernáez, Esther Redondo, Guillermo Barro, Sonja Radau, Mercedes Pardo, Concha Gil, Lucía Monteoliva
Abstract
This first analysis of HEVs of C. albicans has shown clear differences between them and the YEVs of C. albicans, showing their relevance and possible use in the discovery of new diagnostic markers and treatment targets against C. albicans infections. The data obtained point to different mechanisms of biogenesis of YEVs and HEVs, as well as different involvements in cell biology and host interaction. YEVs played a more relevant role in cell wall maintenance, while HEVs were more closely related to virulence, as they had greater effects on human immune cells. Importantly, an active 20S proteosome complex was described as a fungal-EV cargo. A deeper study of its role and those of many other proteins exclusively detected in HEVs and involved in different relevant biological processes of this fungus could open up interesting new areas of research in the battle against C. albicans.