Self-eating and self-defense: autophagy controls innate immunity and adaptive immunity

J Leukoc Biol. 2013 Apr;93(4):511-9. doi: 10.1189/jlb.0812389. Epub 2012 Dec 27.

Abstract

Autophagy (macroautophagy; "self-eating") is a degradation process, in which cytoplasmic content is engulfed and degraded by the lysosome. And, immunity is an important mechanism of the "self-defense" system. Autophagy has long been recognized as a stress response to nutrient deprivation. This will provide energy and anabolic building blocks to maintain cellular bioenergetic homeostasis. Thus, autophagy plays critical roles in regulating a wide variety of pathophysiological processes, including tumorigenesis, embryo development, tissue remodeling, and most recently, immunity. The latter shows that a self-eating (autophagy) process could regulate a self-defense (immune) system. In this review, we summarize the recent findings regarding the regulatory and mechanistic insights of the autophagy pathway in immunity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adaptive Immunity*
  • Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport / genetics
  • Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport / immunology
  • Antigen Presentation / immunology
  • Autophagy / immunology*
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / immunology
  • Cytokines / immunology
  • Embryo, Mammalian
  • Embryonic Development / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate*
  • Lysosomes / immunology*
  • Lysosomes / metabolism
  • Receptors, Pattern Recognition / genetics
  • Receptors, Pattern Recognition / immunology
  • Stress, Physiological / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport
  • Cytokines
  • Receptors, Pattern Recognition