Autophagy receptors as viral targets

Abstract

Activation of autophagy is part of the innate immune response during viral infections. Autophagy involves the sequestration of endogenous or foreign components from the cytosol within double-membraned vesicles and the delivery of their content to the lysosomes for degradation. As part of innate immune responses, this autophagic elimination of foreign components is selective and requires specialized cargo receptors that function as links between a tagged foreign component and the autophagic machinery. Pathogens have evolved ways to evade their autophagic degradation to promote their replication, and recent research has shown autophagic receptors to be an important and perhaps previously overlooked target of viral autophagy inhibition. This is a brief summary of the recent progress in knowledge of virus-host interaction in the context of autophagy receptors.

Artemisinin relieves osteoarthritis by activating mitochondrial autophagy through reducing TNFSF11 expression and inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in cartilage

“…Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system that regulates energy metabolism, degrades impaired proteins, and maintains body homeostasis; it has been shown to restore the function of damaged chondrocytes, alleviating OA progression by protecting articular cartilage [ 22 – 24 ]. Mitochondria are the organelle sites for tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) progression and supply the electron transport chain (ETC) to manage energy production and cell distribution [ 25 ].…”

Clearance or Hijack: Universal Interplay Mechanisms Between Viruses and Host Autophagy From Plants to Animals

“…In addition to maintaining cellular homeostasis, autophagy also participates in pathogen clearance. Selective autophagy of intracellular pathogens is called xenophagy, while that of virions or viral components is known as virophagy ( Yla-Anttila, 2021 ). Selective autophagy depends on receptor recognition of cargo and the initiation of autophagosome formation ( Huang et al., 2020 ; Vo and Choi, 2021 ).…”

COVID-19 therapies: do we see substantial progress?

“…In addition, chloroquine is a well-known inhibitor of autophagy that inhibits binding of autophagosomes to vesicles bearing lysosomal enzymes. Autophagy is considered as a part of the innate immunity against viral infections [ 98 ].…”