Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved mechanism for the sequestration and subsequent lysosomal degradation of discrete intracellular portions of eukaryotic cells, facilitating the removal of materials not degraded through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. In addition, autophagy plays important roles in innate and adaptive immune responses to pathogens.
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Several viruses have develop ways to subvert the pathway for their own benefit in order to avoid the immune response or to increase their viral replication. Beclin-1 is an essential autophagy protein and constitutes the major target for manipulation of autophagy by viruses. For example, HHV-1 ICP34.5 binds to Beclin-1 and inhibits autophagosome formation. HIV and Influenza A virus use the same mechanism through Nef and M2 respectively, that also interact with and inhibit host Beclin-1.