Description
In a whole-transcriptome study, cellular responses of DCs confronted with the fungi A. fumigatus, C. albicans or the bacterial cell wall component LPS were investigated. Therefore DCs of four independent donors were analyzed after 6 hours co-culture with A. fumigatus, C. albicans and LPS by Affymetrix whole genome expression arrays. In general, transcriptomic analysis revealed a clustering of the A. fumigatus and C. albicans stimulated DCs. However, LPS and fungi-dependent gene expression showed more common similarities compared to the untreated control. Stimulation with LPS induced a differential regulation of 2793 genes after 6h, while confrontation with A. fumigatus and C. albicans resulted in 743 and 974 differentially regulated genes, respectively. Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) was identified as the only transcription factor that was down-regulated in DCs by both fungi but induced by stimulation with LPS.