Scientists Outline Unified Cellular Defense Model Linking Immunity, Autophagy and Cell Death

Overview

• Researchers at a three-day India-EMBO course hosted by CCMB reported that innate immune signalling, autophagy and programmed cell death operate as an integrated network.
• Speakers described a cellular first-responder system that detects invading microbes, removes damaged components and triggers emergency shutdown when survival is not possible.
• Presentations proposed a unified model of inflammatory cell death that connects pyroptosis, apoptosis and necroptosis previously treated as separate mechanisms.
• New findings highlighted ubiquitin tagging with autophagic sequestration of microbes as key immune quality-control processes that enable targeted clearance.
• Organisers said the emerging framework will steer host-directed research and collaborations, with therapeutic applications remaining at the research stage.