Intracellular pathogen targeting by IL32 elicits cell-autonomous immunity

Reitano, J. R.; Walsh, S. C.; Dickinson, M. S.; Johnston, E. A.; Cortina, M. E.; Adcox, H.; Alto, N.; Derre, I.; Hybiske, K.; Suchland, R.; Kim, S. Y.; Coers, J.

doi:10.64898/2026.07.21.739902

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.07.21.739902

Intracellular pathogen targeting by IL32 elicits cell-autonomous immunity

Reitano, J. R.·Walsh, S. C.·Dickinson, M. S.·Johnston, E. A.·Cortina, M. E.·Adcox, H.·Alto, N.·Derre, I.·Hybiske, K.·Suchland, R.·Kim, S. Y.·Coers, J.

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Abstract

Interferon-{gamma} safeguards humans against intracellular pathogens, yet how most interferon-stimulated genes protect host cells, and how human-adapted pathogens evade these defenses is unclear1,2. Here, we discover a potent immune surveillance and effector circuit executed by an intracellularly acting cytokine, IL32, that targets and restricts phylogenetically distinct vacuolar pathogens, including the bacterium Chlamydia and the microsporidian Encephalitozoon. Quantitative proteomics coupled to a tailored CRISPR screen, uncovered components of the cysteine/Arg N-degron pathway3 that modify IL32 through oxidation-dependent arginylation, thereby enabling the recruitment of the autophagy machinery to pathogen-containing vacuoles. A forward genetics screen in Chlamydia trachomatis, the leading cause of sexually transmitted bacterial infection, identified the secreted virulence factor IncS as an evasion factor that blocks IL32 targeting and shields this human pathogen from xenophagy. These findings establish an IL32-dependent intracellular sensing mechanism linking IFN{gamma} signaling to N-degron-mediated xenophagy, revealing a broadly relevant axis of human host-pathogen conflict.

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Reitano, J. R., Walsh, S. C., Dickinson, M. S., Johnston, E. A., Cortina, M. E., Adcox, H., Alto, N., Derre, I., Hybiske, K., Suchland, R., Kim, S. Y., Coers, J.. 2026-07-25. Intracellular pathogen targeting by IL32 elicits cell-autonomous immunity. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.21.739902

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