Work

Eating for good health: Linking autophagy and phagocytosis in host defense

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: Autophagy is a conserved pathway that sequesters cytoplasmic material and delivers it to lysosomes for degradation. Digestion of portions of the cell interior plays a key role in the recycling of nutrients, remodeling, and disposal of superfluous organelles. Along with its metabolic function, autophagy is an important mechanism for innate immunity against invading bacteria and other pathogens. Multicellular organisms seem to have exploited autophagy to eliminate intracellular pathogens that would otherwise grow in the cytoplasm. Surprisingly, autophagy is involved in the response to extracellular pathogens as well, following their engulfment by conventional phagocytosis. Possible links between these two forms of cellular "eating" represent a new dimension in host defense.

Source: Autophagy

DOI: 10.4161/auto.6397

Authors: Miguel A. Sanjuan, Douglas R. Green

Institution: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Autophagy in Disease and Therapy

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Cancer Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases