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Updated: Jul 8, 2025
09:10
siRNA Electroporation to Modulate Autophagy in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells
Published on: October 28, 2019
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Viruses and autophagy: bend, but don't break
Alagie Jassey1, William T Jackson2
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Center for Pathogen Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Nature Reviews. Microbiology
|December 15, 2023
Summary
Autophagy, a cellular process, can be antiviral or promote viral replication. Viruses often hijack non-degradative autophagy for replication, while limiting its harmful degradative functions.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process for maintaining homeostasis by degrading cellular components.
- Viruses interact with autophagy, with roles that can be either antiviral or beneficial for viral replication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the multifaceted roles of the autophagic pathway in viral replication.
- To elucidate how viruses manipulate autophagy for their own benefit.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies investigating the interplay between autophagy and viral replication.
- Analysis of viral strategies to exploit or inhibit autophagic processes.
Main Results:
- Most viruses that benefit from autophagy induction limit its degradative capacity, employing a 'bend, but don't break' strategy.
- Viruses utilize the membrane-generating capacity of the autophagic machinery for replication and virion maturation.
- Cellular homeostasis maintained by autophagy is crucial for initiating viral infections.
Conclusions:
- While degradative autophagy is generally detrimental to viruses, non-degradative autophagic membranes are widely exploited by viruses.
- Viruses have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to manipulate autophagy, highlighting its significance in viral pathogenesis.
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