Mechanisms and consequences of bacterial targeting by the autophagy pathway

Autophagy is a key component of our immune response to invading pathogens. Autophagic targeting of intracellular bacteria within vacuolar compartments or the cytosol helps to control bacterial replication in the host cell. The mechanism by which these invading pathogens are selectively targeted for degradation is of particular interest. Recently, several signaling factors have been shown to play roles in the specific targeting of bacteria by the autophagy pathway including: pattern recognition receptors, reactive oxygen species, ubiquitin and diacylglycerol. Here, we discuss these signaling factors and the consequences of bacterial targeting by autophagy during infection of host cells.