The Molecular Interplay between Human Coronaviruses and Autophagy

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has instantaneously emerged as a worldwide pandemic. However, humans encountered other coronaviruses in the past, and they caused a broad range of symptoms, from mild to life-threatening, depending on the virus and immunocompetence of the host. Most human coronaviruses interact with the proteins and/or double-membrane vesicles of autophagy, the membrane trafficking pathway that degrades and recycles the intracellular protein aggregates, organelles, and pathogens, including viruses. However, coronaviruses often neutralize and hijack this pathway to complete their life cycle. In this review, we discuss the interactions of human coronaviruses and autophagy, including recent data from SARS-CoV-2-related studies. Some of these interactions (for example, viral block of the autophagosome–lysosome fusion), while being conserved across multiple coronaviruses, are accomplished via different molecular mechanisms. Therefore, it is important to understand the molecular interplay between human coronaviruses and autophagy for developing efficient therapies against coronaviral diseases.