Christian Münz: Regulation of Macroautophagy by Pathogens

Professor Christian Münz
Viral Immunobiology, Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Switzerland

Regulation of macroautophagy by pathogens

Macroautophagy is a cytoplasmic bulk degradation pathway, delivering protein aggregates and cell organelles for lysosomal hydrolysis. The immune system of higher eukaryotes utilizes this pathway to restrict cytosolic as well as endocytosed pathogens through direct degradation and antigen processing for MHC presentation to T cells. Thus, successful pathogens have developed strategies to regulate macroautophagy for their own benefit by either blocking its initiation or inhibiting the degradation of autophagic cargo in lysosomes. Modulation of macroautophagy by a virus that replicates in the nucleus and an endocytosed pathogen will be discussed in this presentation.