Endothelial cell contraction increases Candida adherence to exposed extracellular matrix

Bovine vascular endothelial cells treated with EDTA, urea, or thrombin underwent a marked, reversible contraction resulting in exposure of the subendothelial extracellular matrix (ECM). Candida yeasts adhered more to contracted monolayers than to confluent monolayers (P less than 0.01) by preferentially adhering to the ECM. Two strains of Candida albicans and one strain of Candida tropicalis bound avidly to exposed ECM, but Pseudomonas aeruginosa did not. However, treatment of endothelium with forskolin, which induces cell shape changes without exposure of the ECM, did not cause an increase in adherence.