Autophagy and T cell metabolism

Autophagy, a highly conserved catabolic process that involves the degradation and recycling of intracellular components in the lysosome, has emerged as a key process in the maintenance of T cell homeostasis and the regulation of T cell differentiation and function. In this review, we provide an overview of the mechanisms that mediate the regulation of autophagy in T cells and discuss different cellular processes that are under the control of autophagy in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. A special emphasis is placed on the role that autophagy plays in the modulation of T cell metabolism and the consequences of this regulation on functional states and programs of differentiation in specific T cell populations.