Fungal restriction of renal T cell migration

Although CD4⁺ T cells, particularly T helper 17 (T_H17) cells, have a crucial role in antifungal immunity, it has been thought that T cells are redundant for the control of renal Candida albicans infection. Drummond et al. characterized the T cell response during systemic candidiasis and found that the antigen-specific CD4⁺ T cell response in the renal lymph nodes was increased at day 3 post infection with the C. albicans strain Calb-Ag. However, this response became blunted at day 6. Furthermore, antigen-specific CD4⁺ T cells did not migrate to the infected kidneys, although CD8⁺ T cell recruitment was not affected. Enforced CD4⁺ T cell migration using antigen-loaded immunoliposomes resulted in the accumulation of antigen-specific T_H17 cells and decreased fungal burdens in the kidneys. Although the reason for the defective migration of CD4⁺ T cells to the kidneys remains to be determined, restoring tissue CD4⁺ T cell responses helps to control fungal growth in the kidneys.