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Chikungunya-induced cell death is limited by ER and oxidative stress-induced autophagy

Pierre-Emmanuel Joubert1, Scott Werneke, Claire de la Calle

  • 1Unité Immunobiologie des Cellules Dendritiques, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

Autophagy
|July 28, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Macroautophagy is a survival mechanism that helps cells maintain balance and regulate cell death. Our study shows how autophagy limits cell damage caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Virology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Macroautophagy is a key cellular process for homeostasis and regulating programmed cell death, including apoptosis.
  • While pathogens can induce autophagy, its prosurvival role in infections is not well understood.
  • Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes significant epidemics and its interaction with cellular defense mechanisms requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of autophagy in chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection.
  • To elucidate the mechanism by which autophagy affects CHIKV-induced cellular damage.
  • To understand the prosurvival function of autophagy in the context of viral infections.

Main Methods:

  • Cell culture models of CHIKV infection.
  • Autophagy induction and inhibition assays.
  • Analysis of cell death pathways (e.g., apoptosis) in infected cells.
  • Viral load quantification.

Main Results:

  • CHIKV infection induces autophagy as a cellular response.
  • Autophagy activation was found to limit the cytopathic effects of CHIKV.
  • The study identified a novel mechanism where autophagy interferes with CHIKV-induced cell death pathways, promoting cell survival.

Conclusions:

  • Autophagy plays a critical prosurvival role during CHIKV infection.
  • This study reveals a new mechanism of autophagy-mediated protection against viral-induced cell death.
  • Understanding this interaction could inform therapeutic strategies against CHIKV and similar viral pathogens.

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