The battle for autophagy between host and influenza A virus

ABSTRACT

Influenza A virus (IAV) is an infectious pathogen, threatening the population and public safety with its epidemics. Therefore, it is essential to better understand influenza virus biology to develop efficient strategies against its pathogenicity. Autophagy is an important cellular process to maintain cellular homeostasis by cleaning up the hazardous substrates in lysosome. Accumulating research has also suggested that autophagy is a critical mechanism in host defense responses against IAV infection by degrading viral particles and activating innate or acquired immunity to induce viral clearance. However, IAV has conversely hijacked autophagy to strengthen virus infection by blocking autophagy maturation and further interfering host antiviral signalling to promote viral replication. Therefore, how the battle for autophagy between host and IAV is carried out need to be known. In this review, we describe the role of autophagy in host defence and IAV survival, and summarize the role of influenza proteins in subverting the autophagic process as well as then concentrate on how host utilize antiviral function of autophagy to prevent IAV infection.

KEYWORDS:

• Autophagy
• antiviral response
• host
• influenza virus proteins
• drug

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Grant from Natural Science Foundation of China (81902073) and Wuhan Polytechnic University. Bin.T was sponsored by Southwest Medical University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Young Scientists Fund [81902073].