Fig. 1

Cell structure and invasion mode of Candida albicans. A The cell wall of Candida albicans consists of an endoskeletal layer containing chitin and β-glucan ((1 → 3) -β-D-glucan and (1 → 6) -β-D-glucan) and an outer layer containing highly glycosylated mannoprotein, of which approximately 84% is water insoluble (1 → 3) -β-D-glucan. The mannan portion of the cell wall accounts for 40% of its dry weight, and the core structure of N-mannan is a focused dihydrochlorol phosphate oligosaccharide consisting of 3 glucose, 9 mannose and 2 N-acetylglucosamine residues. The outer branched mannan is linked to the N-mannan nucleus via the α-1, 6-backbone. The cell membrane is composed of phospholipid bilayer and β-(1,3)-D-glucans synthase. B Candida albicans completes the invasion process through two mechanisms: one is endocytosis induced by host cells, and the other is osmosis activated by Candida albicans hyphae