Exploring the multilayered response of TB bacterium Mycobacterial tuberculosis to lysosomal injury

Abstract

Mtb subverts host immune surveillance by damaging phagolysosomal membranes, exploiting them as replication niches. In response, host cells initiate a coordinated LDR, integrating membrane repair, selective autophagy, and de novo biogenesis. This review delineates a systems-level model of lysosomal quality control governed by three critical regulatory axes: LGALS3/8/9, TRIM E3 ubiquitin ligases, and the AMPK-TFEB signaling pathway. LGALSs detect exposed glycans on ruptured membranes, triggering ESCRT-mediated repair and recruiting ARs. TRIM proteins mediate context-specific ubiquitination, enhancing cargo selection and facilitating transcriptional reprogramming via TFEB. Simultaneously, AMPK-TFEB signaling links metabolic stress to lysosomal regeneration, reinforcing immune defense and cellular adaptation. We highlight emerging mechanisms, including ATG8ylation, CASM, Ca2 + leakage, and SG formation, that refine this multilayered response. Mtb virulence factors selectively disrupt these pathways, revealing their relevance to pathogen persistence. Beyond infection, this triadic network maintains lysosomal integrity in neurodegeneration, inflammation, and lysosomal storage disorders. Understanding its modular design reveals novel therapeutic targets and HDTs for combatting drug-resistant TB. This review integrates recent advances into a coherent framework that redefines lysosomal function as a dynamic, immune-regulatory hub essential for cellular resilience under infectious and metabolic stress.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; ESCRT machinery; LGALSs and TRIM proteins; host-pathogen interaction; lysosomal repair; selective autophagy.