AMPK Promotes Xenophagy through Priming of Autophagic Kinases upon Detection of Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles (Cell Reports)

Autophagy is a degradative process that host cells use to cope with invading pathogens, but its earliest activation is unclear. Losier et al. describe a signaling pathway that is activated by the detection of extracellular bacteria-derived OMVs. This autophagy-initiating pathway results in selective targeting and degradation of bacteria rather than cytoplasmic components.