Autophagy defends the mammalian cytosol against bacterial infection.1-3 Efficient pathogen engulfment is mediated by cargo-selecting autophagy adaptors that rely on unidentified pattern-recognition or danger receptors to label invading pathogens as autophagy cargo, typically by poly-ubiquitin coating.4-9 Here we show that galectin-8, a cytosolic lectin, is a danger receptor that restricts Salmonella proliferation. Galectin-8 monitors endo-lysosomal integrity and detects bacterial invasion by binding host glycans exposed on damaged Salmonella-containing vacuoles. By recruiting NDP52 galectin-8 activates anti-bacterial autophagy. Galectin-8-dependent recruitment of NDP52 to Salmonella-containing vesicles is transient and followed by ubiquitin-dependent NDP52 recruitment. Since galectin-8 also detects sterile damage to endosomes or lysosomes, as well as invasion by Listeria or Shigella, we suggest galectin-8 serves as a versatile receptor for vesicle-damaging pathogens. Our results illustrate how cells deploy the danger receptor galectin-8 to combat infection by monitoring endo-lysososomal integrity based on the specific lack of complex carbohydrates in the cytosol.

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Influenza A virus segment 2 is known to encode two polypeptides in overlapping open reading frames: PB1, the polymerase, and PB1-F2, a proapoptotic virulence factor. We show that a third major polypeptide is synthesized from PB1 mRNA via differential AUG codon usage. PB1 codon 40 directs translation of an N-terminally truncated version of the polypeptide (N40) that lacks transcriptase function but nevertheless interacts with PB2 and the polymerase complex in the cellular environment. Importantly, the expression of N40, PB1-F2, and PB1 are interdependent, and certain mutations previously used to ablate PB1-F2 production affected N40 accumulation. Removal of the PB1-F2 AUG upregulated N40 synthesis, while truncating PB1-F2 after codon 8 (with a concomitant M40I change in PB1) abolished N40 expression. A virus lacking both N40 and PB1-F2 replicated normally. However, viruses that did not express N40 but retained an intact PB1-F2 gene overexpressed PB1 early in infection and replicated slowly in tissue culture. Thus, the influenza A virus proteome includes a 12th primary translation product that (similarly to PB1-F2) is nonessential for virus viability but whose loss, in particular genetic backgrounds, is detrimental to virus replication.

SummaryAutophagy protects cellular homeostasis by capturing cytosolic components and invading pathogens for lysosomal degradation. Autophagy receptors target cargo to autophagy by binding ATG8 on autophagosomal membranes. The expansion of the ATG8 family in higher eukaryotes suggests that specific interactions with autophagy receptors facilitate differential cargo handling. However, selective interactors of ATG8 orthologs are unknown. Here we show that the selectivity of the autophagy receptor NDP52 for LC3C is crucial for innate immunity since cells lacking either protein cannot protect their cytoplasm against Salmonella. LC3C is required for antibacterial autophagy because in its absence the remaining ATG8 orthologs do not support efficient antibacterial autophagy. Structural analysis revealed that the selectivity of NDP52 for LC3C is conferred by a noncanonical LIR, in which lack of an aromatic residue is balanced by LC3C-specific interactions. Our report illustrates that specificity in the interaction between autophagy receptors and autophagy machinery is of functional importance to execute selective autophagy.

Summary Xenophagy, a selective autophagy pathway that protects the cytosol against bacterial invasion, relies on cargo receptors that juxtapose bacteria and phagophore membranes. Whether phagophores are recruited from a constitutive pool or are generated de novo at prospective cargo remains unknown. Phagophore formation in situ would require recruitment of the upstream autophagy machinery to prospective cargo. Here, we show that, essential for anti-bacterial autophagy, the cargo receptor NDP52 forms a trimeric complex with FIP200 and SINTBAD/NAP1, which are subunits of the autophagy-initiating ULK and the TBK1 kinase complex, respectively. FIP200 and SINTBAD/NAP1 are each recruited independently to bacteria via NDP52, as revealed by selective point mutations in their respective binding sites, but only in their combined presence does xenophagy proceed. Such recruitment of the upstream autophagy machinery by NDP52 reveals how detection of cargo-associated “eat me” signals, induction of autophagy, and juxtaposition of cargo and phagophores are integrated in higher eukaryotes.