Immune Activation

Autophagy and Immune Activation

Because autophagy can degrade intracellular pathogens (referred to as “xenophagy”), it plays a role in both innate and adaptive immunity. Degradation of viruses by autophagy can aid immune responses by delivering viral components to TLRs for sensing or to MHC II proteins for antigen presentation. Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) even encodes a virulence factor that binds Beclin-1 to inhibit autophagy, and mutation of this viral factor severely compromises its ability to cause disease in mice. In the absence of infection, autophagy may still impact immune development and activation: T cells from ATG5-knockout mice have decreased proliferative ability, and autophagy regulatory genes have been associated with susceptibility to Crohn’s disease. Understanding the diverse roles of autophagy and its mechanisms may help us treat infectious and inflammatory diseases more effectively.