The cytoskeleton in cell-autonomous immunity: structural determinants of host defence

Actin, microtubules, intermediate filaments and septins are four major components of the cytoskeleton. They all have crucial roles in cell-autonomous immunity.There is currently intense investigation of how cytoskeletal dynamics are regulated, and how cytoskeletal components interact and work in conjunction with cell-autonomous immunity.Sensing of pathogenic bacteria is a first step in orchestrating their elimination by the immune system. During infection, bacterial effector proteins and toxins have effects on the host cytoskeleton, and new studies have identified innate immune sensors that guard against pathogen-induced manipulation of cytoskeleton proteins.Crucial functions of the cytoskeleton in cell-autonomous immunity include their scaffolding role for protein recruitment at the plasma membrane and in the cytosol, and their role in subcellular compartmentalization.Innate immune proteins also regulate cytoskeletal dynamics to effectively restrict bacterial pathogens, highlighting the interdependence between the cytoskeleton and cell-autonomous immunity.Further investigations into the multiple roles of the cytoskeleton in host defence will help to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying human diseases, such as cancer, neurological disorders and autoinflammatory conditions, as well as susceptibility to infections.