Autophagosome maturation stymied by SARS-CoV-2

Many pathogens are capable of disrupting autophagy within host cells. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Miao et al. discover that the SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF3a inhibits autophagosome-lysosome fusion by dysregulating the HOPS complex.

Automated summary

The study reveals that the SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF3a disrupts autophagy by interfering with the fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes, through dysregulation of the HOPS complex.