The Tug‑of‑War Between Host Defence and Bacterial Survival

Bacterial pathogens have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to manipulate host immunity. Among the most critical targets is the regulation of host cell fate. By controlling whether infected cells survive or undergo distinct forms of programmed cell death, bacteria can shape inflammatory responses where successful pathogens evade immune recognition, establish intracellular niches and promote dissemination. At the other end, host cell death pathways constitute essential defence mechanisms that limit bacterial replication and coordinate protective immunity.During Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, host cells may undergo apoptosis to restrict bacterial growth; however, the pathogen can shift this balance toward necrosis by inducing lipoxin (LX)A4 and suppressing prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production, ensuring conditions favourable for replication. Salmonella species similarly modulates host cell death in a cell type- and infection stage-dependent manner, engaging apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis and related pathways to influence bacterial replication, immune activation and dissemination.This Research Topic aims to bring together studies that unravel the molecular tug-of-war between bacterial virulence mechanisms and host cell defence pathways. We welcome contributions combining microbiology, immunology, cell biology, and structural or systems approaches to explore how pathogens fine-tune host cell fate decisions. Insights into these interactions will illuminate critical determinants of pathogenicity and may uncover new therapeutic strategies to restore protective immunity.Areas to be covered may include, but are not limited to:• Mechanisms by which bacterial effectors regulate apoptosis, necrosis, pyroptosis, or other cell death pathways• Host signalling networks targeted by bacterial virulence factors• Comparative strategies across bacterial species for manipulating immune responses• Therapeutic or immunomodulatory interventions aimed at restoring host‑protective cell death• Advanced imaging or molecular approaches to dissect host–pathogen interactions at the single‑cell level Topic editors: Attinder Chadha, Daniel Butler, Ziyun Li, Atish Barua, Kathleen McCaffrey Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82168/the-tug-of-war-between-host-defence-and-bacterial-survival