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Autophagy

Autophagy

Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...

Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome

Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome

Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...

Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy

Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy

Cells respond to damage and stress through highly coordinated processes that decide whether they survive or undergo controlled self-destruction. Two major pathways involved in this regulation are apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, and autophagy, a survival mechanism that helps cells adapt to adverse conditions.ApoptosisApoptosis removes aged or injured cells to maintain tissue balance. During this process, the cell shrinks, chromatin condenses and fragments, and membrane-bound...

Autophagic Cell Death

Autophagic Cell Death

Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
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Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and pro-apoptotic...

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

Immune surveillance is an integral part of the innate immune system, involving the continuous monitoring of peripheral tissues to detect and respond to pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells. This surveillance is conducted primarily by natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes, which employ distinct but complementary mechanisms to identify and eliminate threats.
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Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells

Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells

Cells undergoing apoptosis form apoptotic bodies that must be removed immediately to prevent inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and necrosis. Phagocytosis is carried out by professional phagocytes such as macrophages or immature dendritic cells. Non-professional phagocytes such as epithelial cells and fibroblasts also take part in this process; however, they are not as effective as professional phagocytes.
Normal cells contain receptors that prevent them from being recognized by phagocytes.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Assessing Autophagic Flux by Measuring LC3, p62, and LAMP1 Co-localization Using Multispectral Imaging Flow Cytometry

Assessing Autophagic Flux by Measuring LC3, p62, and LAMP1 Co-localization Using Multispectral Imaging Flow Cytometry

Published on: July 21, 2017

Autophagy genes in immunity.

Herbert W Virgin¹, Beth Levine

¹Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. virgin@wustl.edu

Nature Immunology

|April 22, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Autophagy, a cellular degradation process, plays a crucial role in immunity by influencing pathogen resistance and inflammation. This review explores the immune functions of autophagy genes, distinguishing classical autophagy from other roles.

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Last Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Assessing Autophagic Flux by Measuring LC3, p62, and LAMP1 Co-localization Using Multispectral Imaging Flow Cytometry

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Analyzing Starvation-Induced Autophagy in the Drosophila melanogaster Larval Fat Body

Analyzing Starvation-Induced Autophagy in the Drosophila melanogaster Larval Fat Body

Published on: August 4, 2022

Area of Science:

Immunology
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Autophagy is a cellular pathway for degrading cytoplasmic components via the lysosome.
Autophagy is implicated in various immune functions, including pathogen resistance, interferon production, and inflammation regulation.
Studies often investigate autophagy's immune roles by inactivating autophagy-related genes (ARGs) in immune cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To review immune phenotypes resulting from the inactivation of autophagy genes.
To discuss the diverse, potentially non-classical, functions of autophagy genes in the immune system.
To differentiate between classical autophagic functions and other roles of autophagy genes in immunity.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on autophagy gene inactivation in immune cells.
Analysis of reported immune phenotypes associated with autophagy gene dysfunction.
Synthesis of evidence for both classical autophagy and autophagosome-independent functions of autophagy genes.

Main Results:

Inactivation of autophagy genes in immune cells leads to diverse immune defects.
Observed immune functions extend beyond classical autophagosome-lysosome pathways.
Autophagy genes exhibit pleiotropic roles in innate and adaptive immunity.

Conclusions:

Autophagy genes have critical, multifaceted roles in the immune system.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the non-classical functions of autophagy genes in immunity.
Understanding these diverse roles is essential for developing immunomodulatory strategies.