UNASSIGNED: @entity5132 is responsible for ~400,000 systemic @entity364 annually, with an associated mortality rate of 46-75%. The @entity1 gastrointestinal (GI) tract represents the largest natural reservoir of Candida species and is a major source of systemic @entity364 . However, the factors that control GI colonization by Candida species are not completely understood. We hypothesized that the fungal cell wall would play an important role in determining the competitive @entity410 of Candida species in the @entity1 GI tract. To test this hypothesis, we generated a systematic collection of isogenic @entity5132 cell wall mutants and measured their @entity410 in the @entity19 GI tract via quantitative competition assays. Whereas a large variation in competitive @entity410 was found among mutants, no correlation was observed between @entity344 and total levels of individual cell wall components. Similar results were obtained in a set of distantly-related Candida species, suggesting that total amounts of individual cell wall components do not determine the ability of fungi to colonize the GI tract. We then subjected this collection of Candida strains and species to an extensive quantitative phenotypic profiling in search for features that might be responsible for their differences in @entity344 , but found no association with the ability to grow in GI-mimicking and stressful environments or with in vitro and in vivo virulence. The most significant association with @entity344 was found to be the strength of signaling through the Dectin-1 receptor. Using a quantitative assay to measure the amount of exposed b-glucan on the surface of fungal cells, we found this parameter, unlike total b-glucan levels, to be strongly predictive of competitive @entity410 in the @entity19 GI tract. These data suggest that fungal cell wall architecture, more so than its crude composition, critically determines the ability of fungi to colonize the @entity1 GI tract. In particular, recognition of exposed b-glucan by Dectin-1 receptor appears to severely limit Candida @entity344 and hence represents a promising target to reduce fungal colonization in @entity1 at risks of @entity6923 .

b-glucan Exposure on the Fungal Cell Wall Tightly Correlates with Competitive Fitness of Candida Species in the XXXX Gastrointestinal Tract.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['mammalian', 'human', 'patients'] @entity410 :: ('MESH:D012640', 'Disease') :: ['fitness'] @entity6923 :: ('MESH:C536777', 'Disease') :: ['systemic candidiasis'] @entity19 :: ('10090', 'Species') :: ['mouse'] @entity344 :: ('MESH:D005767', 'Disease') :: ['GI fitness'] @entity5132 :: ('5476', 'Species') :: ['Candida albicans', 'C. albicans'] @entity364 :: ('MESH:D009181', 'Disease') :: ['fungal infections']
@entity19 :: (10090,Species) :: ['Mouse']
