Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 2, 2025

Measuring Mitochondrial Function of Naïve and Effector CD8 T Cells
Published on: March 28, 2025
Autophagy in T-cell differentiation, survival and memory
Liqing Wang1,2, Jugal Kishore Das1, Anil Kumar1
1Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA.
Abstract:
Over the past decade, autophagy has emerged as a critical regulatory mechanism of the immune system through critically controlling various aspects of T cell biology and determining the fate of different T cell subsets. Autophagy maintains T cell development and survival by regulating the degradation of organelles and apoptotic proteins. The autophagic process also impacts the formation of memory T cells. Alteration of autophagy in T cells may lead to a variety of pathological conditions such as inflammation, autoimmune diseases and cancer. In this review, we discuss how autophagy impacts T cell differentiation, survival and memory, and its implication in immunotherapy for various diseases.
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