Shanshan Luo, PhD

Personal data:
Country of Origin: P. R. China
PhD period: August 2006 - July 2010

Title:
Candida albicans-host interaction, the many faces of candida Pra1

Project Leader: Prof. Dr. Peter F. Zipfel

Abstract:
The Candida-host interaction represents a very complex and key factor for the pathogenesis of different types of candidiasis. Candida albicans is an opportunistic human pathogen that can cause superficial, as well as life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. To initiating an infection, C. albicans has to evade and cross all the immune and tissue barriers. The aim of the work is to identify which protein from C. albicans contributes to these infection progresses and characterize it on a molecular level. In this project, we identified Pra1 from C. albicans as a multifunctional virulence factor which mediates C. albicans for immune and tissue evasion. Pra1 is a surface protein and also secreted into the culture medium. Different localization specializes Pra1 different functions at various sites.
(i) as a surface protein, Pra1 binds human complement regulators Factor H, FHL-1, C4BP as well as plasminogen. The attached human regulators modulate complement evasion and degradation of extra cellular matrixes, and consequently favor C. albicas invasion.
(ii) as a secreted protein, Pra1 complexes C3 in solution, blocks C3 cleavage by C3 convertases, thereby inhibits further complement amplification and progression, which leads to the blockade of the inflammatory anaphylatoxins C3a and C5a generation, C3b surface opsonization, as well as C3b mediated adhesion and uptake of the yeast by human macrophages.
(iii) Pra1 also binds to the surface of human cells. When binding to human endothelial cells, surface Pra1 functions as an invasin and mediates C. albicans for adhesion and invasion, thereby likely allows this fungal pathogen to cross the tissue layers and causes invasive disease. A detailed understanding of these multiple roles of Pra1 allow to define new strategies to interfere with and fight against Candida infection.

Publications:

• Zipfel PF, Luo S, Schindler S (2009) Immunbiologie von human-pathogenen Hefen und Schimmelpilzen. Wohnmedizin 1, 9-14.
• Luo S, Poltermann S, Kunert A, Rupp S, Zipfel PF (2009) Immune evasion of human-pathogenic yeast Candida albicans: Pra1 is a factor H, FHL-1 and plasminogen binding surface protein. Molecular Immunology 47, 541-550.
• Luo S, Ling J, Zhang C et al. (2005) Distillation, identification and content analysis of the flavones from Cordyceps kyushuensis Kob. Chinese Journal of Biochemical Pharmaceutics 26(6), 256-258.
• Luo S, Ling J, Zhang C et al. (2005) The influence of infiltration on the distillation ratio of flavones by ultrasonic. Shanghai Journal of Chinese Medicine 39(12), 48-50.
• Luo S, Ling J, Zhang C et al. (2005) Study on the nucleotides in Cordyceps kyushuensis Kob. by HPLC. Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs 36(10), 1496-1498.
• Luo S, Ling J, Zhang C et al. (2005) Study on the prime craftwork of the microwave way in distilling flavones from Cordyceps kyushuensis Kob. Shandong Journal of Chinese Medicine 24(8), 499-501.
• Luo S, Ling J, Zhang C, et al. (2004) Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction technology applied in natural medicine research. Shanghai Journal of Chinese Medicine 38(11), 51-53.