Epithelial adhesion in yeast species: Correlation with surface expression of the integrin analog

Epithelial adhesion and expression of the integrin analog, a putative candidal adhesin, were correlated for 33 clinical and laboratory isolates of Candida albicans, other Candida species, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. On flow cytometry with saturating concentrations of the monoclonal antibody OKM1, surface fluorescence was highest for C. albicans at 67.8% ± 1.7% and significantly reduced for Candida tropicalis (32.0% ± 2.6%), Candida parapsilosis (18.3% ± 2.4%), Candida glabrata (3.3% ± 0.8%), Candida lusitaniae (2.9% ± 1.0%), Candida krusei (0.7% ± 0.1%), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1.7% ± 0.2%) (P <.006 for all other species vs. C. albicans). Adhesion to a human epithelial cell line was highest for C. albicans at 49.8% ± 3.5%, lower for C. tropicalis (44.7% ± 4.6%), and incrementally reduced for all other species (<25%) (P <.012). The correlation between integrin expression and epithelial adhesion was highly significant (P =.0066; r² =.8). Surface expression of the integrin analog predicts epithelial adhesion for yeast species isolated in opportunistic infections.