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Updated: May 10, 2026

Study of Protein-protein Interactions in Autophagy Research
Published on: September 9, 2017
β-Glucan signaling connects phagocytosis to autophagy
1Research Division of Immunology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
Abstract:
A growing list of innate immune receptors is being defined that recognize polysaccharides of microbial cell walls. Fungal β-glucan recognition by the receptor Dectin-1 triggers inflammatory immune responses in macrophages and dendritic cells that are appropriate for defense against fungal pathogens. Among these responses is the specific recruitment of the autophagy-related protein light chain 3 (LC3) to phagosomes containing fungi. Studies documenting LC3's recruitment to phagosomes containing β-glucan and other nonsugar particles suggest that LC3 plays a role in regulating phagocytosis and its related immunological responses.
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