| Candida albicans, a commensal fungus, may cause oral candidiasis in individuals with immunological disorders. Naturally occurring human polyclonal anti-Candida IgA2 antibody was found to reduce Candida adherence to buccal epithelial cells. Candida mannan, a major cell wall component, has been demonstrated as an adhesin. This project was designed to develop a recombinant monoclonal human antimannan IgA2 antibody and to study its activities against C. albicans. The antimannan Fab M1 gene was ligated to the gene of the constant heavy chain of human IgA2 to produce the full length M1A2 antibody. Binding of C. albicans yeast cells to human buccal epithelial cells was reduced in the presence of M1A2 as observed with microscopy and flow cytometry. Furthermore, M1A2 was found to promote phagocytosis and phagocytic killing of C. albicans yeast cells by human neutrophils with flow cytometry. These observations suggest a possible protective role for IgA2 in host resistance against oral candidiasis. |
