Open AccessCrosstalk between autophagy and inflammatory signalling pathways: balancing defence and homeostasis
Author(s) -
Ken Cadwell
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
nature reviews. immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 20.529
H-Index - 390
eISSN - 1474-1741
pISSN - 1474-1733
DOI - 10.1038/nri.2016.100
Subject(s) - autophagy , crosstalk , immune system , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunity , homeostasis , signalling , multicellular organism , inflammation , autoimmunity , signal transduction , neuroscience , immunology , cell , apoptosis , genetics , engineering , electronic engineering
Autophagy has broad functions in immunity, ranging from cell-autonomous defence to coordination of complex multicellular immune responses. The successful resolution of infection and avoidance of autoimmunity necessitates efficient and timely communication between autophagy and pathways that sense the immune environment. The recent literature indicates that a variety of immune mediators induce or repress autophagy. It is also becoming increasingly clear that immune signalling cascades are subject to regulation by autophagy, and that a return to homeostasis following a robust immune response is critically dependent on this pathway. Importantly, examples of non-canonical forms of autophagy in mediating immunity are pervasive. In this article, the progress in elucidating mechanisms of crosstalk between autophagy and inflammatory signalling cascades is reviewed. Improved mechanistic understanding of the autophagy machinery offers hope for treating infectious and inflammatory diseases.