Selective autophagy mechanism against Group A Streptococcus infection

Abstract

Autophagy acts as an intracellular host defense system against invading pathogenic microorganisms such as Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Autophagy is a membrane-mediated degradation system that is regulated by intracellular membrane trafficking regulators, including small GTPase Rab proteins. Here, we revealed Rab GTPase network that regulate autophagosome formation against GAS. A unique set of Rab GTPases coordinates autophagy to enable to form huge autophagosomes surrounding GAS by linking recycling endosomes and trans Golgi-network. We also found that NLRP4, one of intracellular pathogen recognition receptor, directs Rho signaling to facilitate autophagosome formation. In this article, we would like to show our findings on how host autophagy regulators coordinate autophagy during GAS infection.