One of the main functions of the autophagy pathway is to control infections. Intracellular micro-organisms or their products once internalized in the host cell can be directly degraded by autophagy, a process called xenophagy. Autophagy is also involved in other innate immune responses and participates to the adaptive immune system. In addition, several autophagy proteins play a role in the development of infectious diseases independently of their role in the autophagy pathway. To replicate efficiently, pathogens have therefore evolved to counteract this process or to exploit it to their own profit. The review focuses on the relationship between autophagy and micro-organisms, which is highly diverse and complex. Many research groups are now working on this topic to find new therapeutics and/or vaccines. Given the large number of data, we have addressed this subject through some representative examples.
© 2017 médecine/sciences – Inserm.