Bacterial Autophagy: Offense and Defense at the Host–Pathogen Interface

• Published in: Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 237 - 243
• Main Author: Casanova, James E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2017; Elsevier
• Subjects: Akt; Autophagy; FAK; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Interferon; Review; Salmonella; Xenophagy; Salmonella; Salmonella-containing vacuole; Xenophagy; microtubule-associated light chain 3; SCV; Akt; DAG; Autophagy; IFN; FAK; focal adhesion kinase; type III secretion system; T3SS; Interferon; mechanistic target of rapamycin 1; TLR; LC3; mTORC1; diacylglycerol; Toll-like receptor; IFN, interferon; TLR, Toll-like receptor; FAK, focal adhesion kinase; DAG, diacylglycerol; LC3, microtubule-associated light chain 3; SCV, Salmonella-containing vacuole; T3SS, type III secretion system; mTORC1, mechanistic target of rapamycin 1
• ISSN: 2352-345X; 2352-345X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2017.05.002

Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process used for the turnover and recycling of cytosolic components and damaged organelles. Originally characterized as a response to cellular stress, it now is well established that autophagy also is used as a defensive mechanism to combat the infection of host cells by intracellular pathogens. However, although this defensive strategy does limit the proliferation of most pathogens within their host cells, successful pathogens have evolved countermeasures that subvert or circumvent the autophagic response. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms used by a number of these pathogens to escape autophagy, with a particular focus on  Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, which has been the most extensively studied example. We also discuss the consequences of bacterial autophagy for the broader innate immune response.