Inducing Autophagy Against Mycobacterial Infection

Activation of autophagy is a novel mode of therapeutic intervention and offers the possibility of developing new “host-directed” therapeutics against mycobacterial infection. For example, Kim et al. found that thiostrepton, a complex microbial product, offers a dual MOA by first targeting the bacterial ribosome and second, by induction of ER stress-mediated autophagy to promote the elimination of intracellular mycobacteria.