ATG5 and infection: Experimental models, including human macrophages and murine systems, demonstrate that genetic ablation of autophagy-related genes (ARGs) such as ATG5 and ATG7 exacerbates Mtb replication and promotes necroptotic cell death, rendering hosts more susceptible to infection (Gutierrez et al., 2004; Kimmey et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2023).