Transcriptome analysis of pulmonary CCR2+ inflammatory monocytes challenged with Cryptococcus neoformans

The encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus neoformans can cause a fatal meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised patients. C. neoformans infection is acquired through the respiratory tract, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the pulmonary innate immune response are still not well defined. To investigate the response of CCR2+ inflammatory monocytes to C. neoformans, we compared the transcriptomes of CCR2+ inflammatory monocytes from the lungs of naïve versus infected mice. Sorted pulmonary CCR2+ inflammatory monocytes were pooled from 6-7 CCR2-GFP reporter mice per group, including naïve mice and mice challenged with intratracheal Cryptococcus neoformans on days 5 and 10 post-infection.