Assays for monitoring macroautophagy activity in T cells

Autophagy is an essential catabolic process that regulates a diverse array of functions by targeting cellular components for degradation by lysosomes. Studies in mammalian cells have shown that the regulation of autophagy is highly complex and optimization of experimental approaches to analyze this process needs to be developed for each model studied. This chapter provides an overview of two of the most commonly used ways to monitor autophagy activity in T cell. It involves description of common techniques, namely Western blot and cell immunostaining, giving specifi c recommendations for working with T cells and monitoring macroautophagy. We also discuss the analysis required for correct interpretation of the results and quantifi cation of macroautophagy activity.