Manipulation of Autophagy by Bacterial Pathogens Impacts Host Immunity

Autophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process, degrading unnecessary or damaged components in the eukaryotic cell to maintain cellular homeostasis, but it is also an intrinsic cellular defence mechanism to remove invading pathogens. A cross-talk between autophagy and innate or adaptive immune responses has been recently reported, whereby autophagy influences both innate and adaptive immunity, like the production and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines or MHC class II antigen presentation to T cells. Pathogenic bacteria have evolved diverse strategies to manipulate autophagy, mechanisms that also impact host immune responses at different levels. Here we discuss the influence of autophagy on selfautonomous, innate and adaptive immunity and then focus on how bacterial mechanisms that shape autophagy may impact the host immune system.