AUTHOR=Ye Xin , Zhou Xu-Jie , Zhang Hong 

TITLE=Exploring the Role of Autophagy-Related Gene 5 (ATG5) Yields Important Insights Into Autophagy in Autoimmune/Autoinflammatory Diseases

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02334

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2018.02334

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Autophagy is a highly conserved process that degrades certain intracellular contents in both physiological and pathological conditions. Autophagy-related proteins (<italic>ATG</italic>) are key players in this pathway, among which <italic>ATG5</italic> is indispensable in both canonical and non-canonical autophagy. Recent studies demonstrate that <italic>ATG5</italic> modulates the immune system and crosstalks with apoptosis. However, our knowledge of the pathogenesis and regulatory mechanisms of autophagy in various immune related diseases is lacking. Thus, a deeper understanding of <italic>ATG5</italic>'s role in the autophagy mechanism may shed light on the link between autophagy and the immune response, and lead to the development of new therapies for autoimmune diseases and autoinflammatory diseases. In this focused review, we discuss the latest insights into the role of <italic>ATG5</italic> in autoimmunity. Although these studies are at a relatively early stage, <italic>ATG5</italic> may eventually come to be regarded as a “guardian of immune integrity.” Notably, accumulating evidence indicates that other <italic>ATG</italic> genes may have similar functions.</p>