title: Xenophagy: A battlefield between host and microbe, and a possible avenue for cancer treatment.
abstract: In eukaryotes, xenophagy is defined as a type of selective macroautophagy/autophagy that is used for eliminating invading pathogens. In contrast to other types of selective autophagy, such as mitophagy, pexophagy and ribophagy, xenophagy is used by eukaryotes for targeting microbes-hence the prefix "xeno" meaning "other" or "foreign"-that have infected a host cell, leading to their lysosomal degradation. This unique characteristic links xenophagy to antibacterial and antiviral defenses, as well as the immune response. Furthermore, recent studies suggest a complicated role of xenophagy in cancer, through either suppressing tumorigenesis or promoting survival of established tumors. In this issue, Sui et al. summarize previous and current studies of xenophagy and consider them in the context of anticancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: a Life Sciences Institute and Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA.|b Present address: Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Department of Genetics , Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: a Life Sciences Institute and Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Klionsky
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001343:Autophagy; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: autophagy; bacteria; cancer; host; xenophagy