Membrane atg8ylation and autophagy in protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Membrane atg8ylation is a broad homeostatic process of immunological import. It encompasses membrane repair and remodeling pathways, including canonical autophagy, in cells subjected to stress, damage, infection, and immune or metabolic signaling under microbe-induced or sterile inflammatory conditions. The initial reports on autophagy, which is one of membrane atg8ylation outputs, as a defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other intracellular pathogens have ushered a new direction for immunological research but proved to be controversial once the studies have moved from in cellulo to in vivo studies in murine models. Recent research is beginning to resolve these controversies by revealing that membrane atg8ylation in general is key to host protection against M. tuberculosis. These developments inform us of how membrane atg8ylation and autophagy shape the innate and adaptive immunity against pathogens and invite further studies to identify downstream immunological effector mechanisms.