Biphasic Regulation of Epithelial Antimicrobial Peptides during Candida albicans Vaginal Infection: Distinct Contributions of NLRP3/IL-1β and IL-17RA Pathways to β-Defensin-1 and -3 Expression

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Candida albicans is the primary agent of acute vulvovaginal candidiasis(VVC) and its recurrent form(RVVC). Local innate immunity contributes to both defense and pathogenesis during vaginal Candida infection, where epithelial β-defensins(BD) constitute key components of the mucosal barrier. We previously reported that epithelial BD-1 expression is dynamically modulated during murine and human vaginitis, revealing strain-dependent and stimulus-specific regulation but leaving the host pathways involved unresolved. This study functionally defines the contribution of key immune pathways to epithelial antimicrobial peptide regulation. Using a murine model of VVC and the virulent C. albicans strain SC5314, we analyzed the temporal expression of BD-1 and extended our study to BD-3. In wild-type mice, both defensins displayed a biphasic pattern: early induction followed by attenuation as infection progressed. Genetic loss-of-function approaches revealed that NLRP3/IL-1β signaling is required for early BD-1 induction, whereas IL-17RA signaling preferentially supports sustained BD-3 expression. Together, these findings establish a causal and temporal link between host immune signaling and epithelial defensin regulation, and reveal a transient subversion of mucosal defenses by C. albicans. This work advances understanding of epithelial innate immunity, defining distinct temporal programs for BD-1 and BD-3, and identifying NLRP3/IL-1β and IL-17RA signaling as key pathways shaping mucosal defensin expression.

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