The role of autophagy in immunity and autoimmune diseases

Abstract

© 2014 University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Autophagy is a catabolic mechanism in the cell that involves the degradation of unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components by the lysosomal machinery. Recent studies have indicated that autophagy is a source of autoantigens, thus highlighting its potential role in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. Th ere are at least three diff erent forms of autophagy: macroautophagy, microautophagy and chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). Th e physiological role of autophagy is to maintain cellular homeostasis by removing long-lived, damaged proteins and dysfunctional organelles and by providing energy. Aberrant autophagy may contribute to chronic infl ammatory diseases and autoimmune diseases. An understanding of the complex relationships between autophagy and autophagy-related genes in each autoimmune disease creates the possibility of developing more specifi c and eff ective therapeutic strategies. Given the importance of autophagy in immune functions, this review article summarises current knowledge about the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.