Sarah E. Hardison

Receptors of the innate immune system are the first line of defence against infection, being able to recognise and initiate an inflammatory response to invading microorganisms. The Toll-like (TLR), NOD-like (NLR), RIG-I-like (RLR) and C-type lectin-like receptors (CLR) are four receptor families that contribute to the recognition of a vast range of species, including fungi. Many of these pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are able to initiate innate immunity and polarise adaptive responses upon the recognition of fungal cell wall components and other conserved molecular patterns, including fungal nucleic acids. These receptors induce effective mechanisms of fungal clearance in normal hosts, but medical interventions, immunosuppression or genetic predisposition can lead to susceptibility to fungal infections. In this review, we highlight the importance of PRRs in fungal infection, specifically CLRs, which are the major PRR involved. We will describe specific PRRs in detail, the importance of receptor collaboration in fungal recognition and clearance, and describe how genetic aberrations in PRRs can contribute to disease pathology.

The C-type lectin receptor MelLec recognizes DHN-melanin in conidial spores of Aspergillus fumigatus and other DHN-melanized fungi, revealing an important role for this receptor in antifungal immunity in both mice and humans. Defence against fungal pathogens in mammals relies on pattern recognition receptors, which are often activated by pathogen virulence factors. One such factor is melanin, a component of the fungal cell wall. Gordon Brown and colleagues identify the melanin-sensing C-type lectin receptor (MelLec) as an endothelial cell receptor for fungal melanin. Activation of this receptor triggers a protective inflammatory response against infection by Aspergillus fungi in mice and humans. MelLec thereby has an important role in host defence against disseminated Aspergillosis. Resistance to infection is critically dependent on the ability of pattern recognition receptors to recognize microbial invasion and induce protective immune responses. One such family of receptors are the C-type lectins, which are central to antifungal immunity1. These receptors activate key effector mechanisms upon recognition of conserved fungal cell-wall carbohydrates. However, several other immunologically active fungal ligands have been described; these include melanin2,3, for which the mechanism of recognition is hitherto undefined. Here we identify a C-type lectin receptor, melanin-sensing C-type lectin receptor (MelLec), that has an essential role in antifungal immunity through recognition of the naphthalene-diol unit of 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin. MelLec recognizes melanin in conidial spores of Aspergillus fumigatus as well as in other DHN-melanized fungi. MelLec is ubiquitously expressed by CD31+ endothelial cells in mice, and is also expressed by a sub-population of these cells that co-express epithelial cell adhesion molecule and are detected only in the lung and the liver. In mouse models, MelLec was required for protection against disseminated infection with A. fumigatus. In humans, MelLec is also expressed by myeloid cells, and we identified a single nucleotide polymorphism of this receptor that negatively affected myeloid inflammatory responses and significantly increased the susceptibility of stem-cell transplant recipients to disseminated Aspergillus infections. MelLec therefore recognizes an immunologically active component commonly found on fungi and has an essential role in protective antifungal immunity in both mice and humans.