Autophagy and autoimmunity.

ABSTRACT: Autophagy is a highly conserved protein degradation pathway from yeasts to humans that is essential for removing protein aggregates and misfolded proteins in healthy cells. Recently, autophagy-related genes polymorphisms have been implicated in several autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis. Numerous studies reveal autophagy and autophagy-related proteins also participate in immune regulation. Conditional deletions of autophagy-related proteins in mice have rendered protection from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and TNF-mediated joint destruction in animal models of multiple sclerosis and experimental arthritis respectively. As autophagy is strongly implicated in immune functions such as removal of int

SUBMITTER: Wu DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5346336 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature