[Autophagy in the cardiovascular system]

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Studies regarding the role of autophagy in cardiac and vascular tissues have opened new therapeutic avenues to treat cardiovascular disorders. Altogether, these studies point out that autophagic activity needs to be maintained at an optimal level to preserve cardiovascular function. Reaching this goal constitutes a challenge for future efficient therapeutic strategies. The present review therefore highlights recent advances in the understanding of the role of autophagy in cardiovascular pathologies.

[Multiple functions of autophagy during development]

Autophagy is a cellular process that allows degradation by the lysosome of cytoplasmic components such as proteins or organelles. Many studies that used model organisms, showed that autophagy plays an important role in multiple developmental processes like degradation of mitochondria of spermatozoids after fertilization, fetal growth or resistance to nutrient starvation. It is also essential to programmed cell death. The involvement of autophagy in these processes may be related to the production of energy resources in conditions of stress or autophagy can selectively degrade specific proteins during development.

[Regulation of immunity and inflammation by autophagy: « All is well, all is fine, all goes as well as possible»]

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation mechanism which helps to control intracellular infections and contributes to the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Defects in autophagy lead to exacerbated proliferation of microorganisms and/or to excessive immune responses which are both highly deleterious. Thus, infectious and chronic inflammatory human diseases, such as Crohn's disease, are often associated with inappropriate modulation of autophagy, which is mainly linked to autophagy-associated gene polymorphisms. In this review, we highlight the current understanding of role of autophagy in infections and immunity.