Transcriptional Responses of Human Granulocytes to Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus

This study aimed to explore the transcriptional activation of human neutrophils in response to different fungal pathogens, including Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus, compared to the bacterial pathogen Escherichia coli. Our findings showed that fungal-induced transcriptional signatures may lead to adifferential regulation of cell death in granulocytes, potentially increasing neutrophil susceptibility to autophagy, pyroptosis, and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. These findings provide valuable insights into the complex immunological responses of neutrophils during fungal infections, offering new avenues for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, particularly in the management of invasive fungal diseases.

本研究旨在探究人类中性粒细胞针对不同真菌病原体（包括白色念珠菌（Candida albicans）与烟曲霉（Aspergillus fumigatus））的转录激活情况，并以细菌病原体大肠埃希氏菌（Escherichia coli）作为对照。研究结果表明，真菌诱导产生的转录特征可介导粒细胞的细胞死亡呈现差异化调控，或可提升中性粒细胞对自噬、焦亡以及中性粒细胞胞外陷阱（neutrophil extracellular trap，NET）形成的易感性。上述发现为解析真菌感染过程中中性粒细胞的复杂免疫应答机制提供了宝贵见解，同时为侵袭性真菌病的诊断与治疗策略，尤其是临床管理方案，开辟了全新的研究路径。