Encyclopedia of Experiments: Immunology
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Transcript
Take a serum-coated catheter piece in a microcentrifuge tube.
Add Candida albicans, a common biofilm-producing fungal pathogen.
Incubate to allow interactions between surface adhesins on the fungal cells and serum proteins on the catheter, enabling fungal adherence.
Wash the catheter with a buffer to remove loosely attached cells.
Next, prepare an anesthetized immunocompromised mouse for surgery.
Make a small incision in the skin and create a subcutaneous tunnel.
Insert a catheter piece, previously infected with fungi, into the tunnel.
Suture the incision.
The fungal cells divide, forming microcolonies on the catheter. These microcolonies secrete an extracellular polymeric substance, or EPS matrix, promoting cell cohesion and surface adhesion.
EPS, a biomolecule-rich material, provides structural integrity to the biofilm and shields the microbes from the host's natural defenses.
Over time, the fungal biofilm develops a complex three-dimensional structure with channels and water-filled voids, enabling nutrient exchange, waste removal, and cell-to-cell communication.
