Immune modulation through secretory autophagy

Autophagy is a central mechanism of cellular homeostasis through the degradation of a wide range of cellular constituents. However, recent evidence suggests that autophagy actively provides information to neighboring cells via a process called secretory autophagy. Secretory autophagy couples the autophagy machinery to the secretion of cellular content via extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs carry a variety of cargo, that reflect the pathophysiological state of the originating cells and have the potential to change the functional profile of recipient cells, to modulate cell biology. The immune system has evolved to maintain local and systemic homeostasis. It is able to sense a wide array of molecules signaling disturbed homeostasis, including EVs and their content. In this review, we explore the emerging concept of secretory autophagy as a means to communicate cellular, and in total tissue pathophysiological states to the immune system to initiate the restoration of tissue homeostasis. Understanding how autophagy mediates the secretion of immunogenic factors may hold great potential for therapeutic intervention.