SUMMARY Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen causing life-threatening mucosal and systemic infections in immunocompromised humans. Using a murine model of mucosal Candida infection we investigated the role of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β in host-defense to Candida albicans. We find that the synthesis, processing and release of IL-1β in response to Candida are tightly controlled and first require transcriptional induction, followed by a second signal leading to caspase-1 mediated cleavage of the pro-IL1β cytokine. The known fungal pattern recognition receptorsTLR2 and Dectin-1 regulate IL-1β gene transcription, while the NLRP3 containing pro-inflammatory multiprotein complex, the NLRP3 inflammasome, controls caspase-1 mediated cleavage of pro-IL1β. Furthermore, we show that TLR2, Dectin-1 and NLRP3 are essential for defense against dissemination of mucosal infection and mortality in vivo. Therefore, in addition to sensing bacterial and viral pathogens, the NLRP3 inflammasome senses fungal pathogens and is critical in host defense against Candida.

Candida sp. are opportunistic fungal pathogens that colonize the skin and oral cavity and, when overgrown under permissive conditions, cause inflammation and disease. Previously, we identified a central role for the NLRP3 inflammasome in regulating IL-1β production and resistance to dissemination from oral infection with Candida albicans. Here we show that mucosal expression of NLRP3 and NLRC4 is induced by Candida infection, and up-regulation of these molecules is impaired in NLRP3 and NLRC4 deficient mice. Additionally, we reveal a role for the NLRC4 inflammasome in anti-fungal defenses. NLRC4 is important for control of mucosal Candida infection and impacts inflammatory cell recruitment to infected tissues, as well as protects against systemic dissemination of infection. Deficiency in either NLRC4 or NLRP3 results in severely attenuated pro-inflammatory and antimicrobial peptide responses in the oral cavity. Using bone marrow chimeric mouse models, we show that, in contrast to NLRP3 which limits the severity of infection when present in either the hematopoietic or stromal compartments, NLRC4 plays an important role in limiting mucosal candidiasis when functioning at the level of the mucosal stroma. Collectively, these studies reveal the tissue specific roles of the NLRP3 and NLRC4 inflammasome in innate immune responses against mucosal Candida infection.