Macrophages play a crucial role in the body's defense against fungal infections by detecting and eliminating invading fungi. However, some fungal pathogens have developed mechanisms to evade or resist macrophage attacks, making them difficult to eliminate. Creative Biolabs integrates solid expertise and advanced technologies, globally providing a sensitive and robust macrophage-fungus interaction analysis service to comprehensively understand their mechanisms. Based on our well-developed macrophage therapeutic platform, global customers will obtain their desired outcomes in a timely and efficient manner.

Fig.1 Possible virulence factors of T. marneffei.¹

Macrophage-Fungus Interaction Analysis Service at Creative Biolabs

Fungal pathogens develop multiple ways to evade phagocytosis by macrophages through morphological changes and other strategies. Macrophages, in turn, have mechanisms to enhance their phagocytic activity, especially certain metabolites secreted by commensal fungus have the capacity to boost this process. As a result, understanding the precise mechanisms of this interaction is crucial for developing effective strategies against fungal infections.

Fig.2 Features of our macrophage-fungus interaction analysis service.

Our integrated macrophage-fungal interaction analysis services include phenotypic changes, gene expression changes, pathway analysis, metabolic analysis, etc., helping customers obtain macroscopic and microscopic interaction results. Specifically, our advanced microscopy techniques allow us to visualize how fungi evade macrophage phagocytosis, as well as how macrophages respond in co-culture systems. Additionally, we investigate how external factors impact the interaction between macrophages and fungi. Furthermore, our transcriptome analysis serves efficiently to reveal the intricate gene expression changes and signaling pathways activated during their interaction, and metabolic profiling uncovers metabolic alterations that occur in response to the interaction. Collectively, at Creative Biolabs, our one-stop, comprehensive, customized interaction analysis service fully meets the needs of our customers, and efficiently supports therapeutic development.

Macrophage Cells Available for Macrophage-Fungus Interaction Analysis Service

Our expertise in cell biology makes our service suitable for primary macrophage cells and macrophage cell lines alike:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What happens when a macrophage contacts a fungus cell?

A1: When a macrophage encounters a fungal cell through opsonic or nonopsonic receptors, it triggers the process of phagocytosis. The engulfed fungal cells are transported to the phagolysosome, where they face a barrage of hydrolases, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and deprivation of readily metabolizable carbon, nitrogen, and essential nutrients.

Q2: How do macrophages migrate to fungus?

A2: Using chemotaxis, the macrophage moves towards the fungus, which triggers an interaction between the macrophage's pathogen-recognition receptors (PRRs) and the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) present on the surface of the fungal cell. This interaction leads to the engulfment of the fungus by the macrophage into a specialized internal compartment called a phagosome. Following this, lysosomal vesicles inside the macrophage fuse with the phagosome in a process mediated by RAB GTPases. This fusion event results in the creation of an acidic, enzyme-rich phagolysosome compartment capable of killing the ingested fungus.

If you are looking for a cost-effective macrophage-fungus interaction analysis service, please contact us with your challenging projects.