Coronaviruses: Innate Immunity, Inflammasome Activation, Inflammatory Cell Death, and Cytokines

The innate immune system acts as the first line of defense against pathogens, including coronaviruses (CoVs). Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV are epidemic zoonotic CoVs that emerged at the beginning of the 21st century. The recently emerged virus SARS-CoV-2 is a novel strain of CoV that has caused the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Scientific advancements made by studying the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV outbreaks have provided a foundation for understanding pathogenesis and innate immunity against SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we focus on our present understanding of innate immune responses, inflammasome activation, inflammatory cell death pathways, and cytokine secretion during SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also discuss how the pathogenesis of these viruses influences these biological processes.