title: Autophagy-mediated antigen processing in CD4(+) T cell tolerance and immunity.
abstract: Macroautophagy, a homeostatic process that shuttles cytoplasmic constituents into endosomal and lysosomal compartments, has recently been shown to deliver antigens for presentation on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II. Autophagy-mediated antigen processing in thymic epithelial cells has been suggested to be involved in the generation of a self-MHC restricted and self-tolerant CD4(+) T cell repertoire. Furthermore, there is accumulating evidence that the up-regulation of autophagy by pattern-recognition receptor signaling represents an innate defense mechanism against intracellular pathogens. Thus, through linking pathogen breakdown with the presentation of pathogen-derived autophagy substrates on MHC class II, autophagy serves a dual function at the interface of the innate and the adaptive immune response.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Immunology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. ludger.klein@med.lmu.de
authors.forename: Ludger
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Münz
authors.forename: Jan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lünemann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology*; D001343:Autophagy / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007109:Immunity / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II