Host-Pathogen Interactions: Cellular Damage, Death, and Adaptation in Microbial Infections

In the realm of cellular biology, cellular activity significantly influences both the intercellular environment and the cell's immediate surroundings. When cells encounter physiological stress or pathogenic stimuli, their response can lead to dramatic shifts toward new states of equilibrium, necessary for survival or leading to death. This dynamic is often modulated through complex regulatory processes including receptor binding, signal transduction, and protein synthesis, which govern the cellular outcome following injury. Adaptations such as atrophy, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and metaplasia are visible manifestations of the cell's attempt to endure adverse conditions. However, severe damage can lead to cell death via necrosis or apoptosis, accompanied by distinct nuclear changes like pyknosis, karyorrhexis, and karyolysis. Consequently, microbial infections can initiate systemic inflammation, profoundly disrupting numerous biological functions and leading to broad-spectrum tissue damage in organs like the kidneys, liver, and brain, thus escalating into acute and chronic diseases.

This Research Topic aims to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying the dichotomy of cellular adaptation versus cell death in the context of microbial infections. The investigative focus will center on delineating the complex interplay between host defense mechanisms and microbial pathogenesis, particularly through the lens of pharmacological interventions that can inhibit microbial growth. Despite advances in therapeutics, gaps remain in maintaining cellular homeostasis, underscoring the necessity for innovative host-directed treatments (HDTs). These treatments are envisioned to recalibrate the balance between cellular death and adaptation, thereby bolstering the body's intrinsic defense capabilities. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as advanced genomic sequencing, multicolor flow cytometry, sophisticated imaging techniques, and comprehensive pathological examinations, the research envisages a significant enhancement in our understanding of host-directed immunotherapies and the nuanced mechanisms of cellular homeostasis amidst microbial challenges.

To gather further insights into cellular responses to microbial infections, we welcome contributions encompassing original research, methodological innovations, reviews, and graphical commentaries that extend our comprehension of microbial signal transduction, pathological outcomes, and cellular adaptations. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
- Molecular mechanisms of cellular injury, death, or adaptation.
- Immunological frameworks detailing the cellular response to pathogens.
- Interactions between hosts and pathogens.
- Novel therapeutic approaches targeting microbial infections.
- Computational models to decode the intricate mechanisms of cellular responses.

By inviting a diverse array of scholarly articles, this topic seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the pathophysiological processes governing cellular damage, death, and adaptations in the wake of microbial invasions, offering a platform for scientific discourse that could pave the way for groundbreaking therapeutic innovations.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Cell-death, necrosis, apoptosis, pyroptosis, cell/tissue injury, immunity

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.