Autophagy mediates neutrophil responses to bacterial infection.

Neutrophils constitute the first line of cellular defense against pathogens and autophagy is a fundamental cellular homeostasis pathway that operates with the intracellular degradation/recycling system. Induction of the autophagic process in neutrophils, in response to invading pathogens, constitutes a crucial mechanism in innate immunity. Exploration of autophagy has greatly progressed and diverse strategies have been reported for studying this molecular process in different biological systems; especially in infectious and inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, the role of autophagy in neutrophils, during pathogenic infection, continues to be of interest, due to the role of the cell in immunity function, its recruitment to the site of infection and its implication in inflammatory diseases. This review focuses on the known role of autophagy in neutrophils defence against pathogenic infections. A more detailed discussion will concern the recent findings highlighting the role of autophagy in inflammation and cell death in infected neutrophils.