The Center for Biomedical Research, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education, NHC Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave., Wuhan, 430030, China.
Tongji School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave., Wuhan, 430030, China.
Mol Immunol. 2019 May;109:43-50. doi: 10.1016/j.molimm.2019.02.004. Epub 2019 Mar 7.
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process that directs cytoplasmic proteins, organelles and microbes to lysosomes for degradation. It not only represents an essential cell-intrinsic mechanism to protect against internal and external stresses but also shapes both innate and adaptive immunity. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a developmentally and functionally distinct T cell subpopulation engaged in sustaining immunological self-tolerance and homeostasis. There is compelling evidence that autophagy is actively regulated in Tregs and serves as a central signal-dependent controller for Tregs by restraining excessive apoptotic and metabolic activities. In this review, we discuss how autophagy modulates the stability and functionality of Tregs in different disease settings, and provide a perspective on how manipulation of autophagy enables better control of immune response by targeting the generation of Tregs and the maintenance of their stability.
自噬是一种进化上保守的分解代谢过程，它将细胞质蛋白、细胞器和微生物引导到溶酶体进行降解。它不仅代表了一种重要的细胞内在机制，以保护免受内外应激，而且还塑造了先天和适应性免疫。调节性 T 细胞（Tregs）是一种在发育和功能上不同的 T 细胞亚群，参与维持免疫自身耐受和体内平衡。有确凿的证据表明，自噬在 Tregs 中被积极调节，并通过抑制过度的凋亡和代谢活动，作为 Tregs 的中央信号依赖性控制器。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了自噬如何在不同的疾病环境中调节 Tregs 的稳定性和功能，并提供了一个观点，即通过靶向 Tregs 的产生和维持其稳定性来操纵自噬，如何更好地控制免疫反应。
