Autophagy Evasion by Intracellular Pathogens: Mechanistic Insights

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved pathway wherein cargoes such as damaged or excess organelles, protein aggregates, or pathogens are targeted to lysosomes via engulfment in a double membrane structure called autophagosomes. It can be a nonspecific (bulk autophagy) or specific (selective autophagy) process. Thus far, various selective autophagy pathways have been identified that are involved in the clearance of either specific cell organelles like mitochondria (mitophagy) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER-phagy) or protein aggregates (aggrephagy) and lipid droplets (lipophagy). A selective autophagy pathway called, xenophagy specifically targets and degrades invading pathogens, thereby acting as a vital aspect of the innate immune defense against infections. However, as a defense, intracellular pathogens like Salmonella, Mycobacterium, Legionella, and Leishmania are known to employ anti-autophagy strategies to escape detection and survive successfully inside the cells.

This Research Topic aims to deepen the understanding of the intricate mechanisms by which intracellular pathogens by-pass the autophagic process to establish and sustain infections. It seeks to elucidate how these pathogens manipulate the autophagic machinery, including the masking of pathogenic entities with host proteins to evade immune surveillance, inhibiting autophagosome formation, and disrupting the fusion of autophagosomes to lysosomes. Insights gained could lead to novel therapeutic strategies to thwart these pathogens effectively.

To gather further understanding into these biological confrontations, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Molecular pathways exploited by pathogens to inhibit autophagy

o Host-cell autophagy proteins targeted by intracellular pathogens

o Studies on how intracellular pathogens evade autophagy

o The role of host and pathogen proteins in disrupting autophagic signaling

o Development of therapeutic approaches to counteract autophagy evasion

We welcome submissions including original research, methods, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives and brief research reports.