Autophagy delivers cytoplasmic constituents for lysosomal degradation, and 
thereby facilitates pathogen degradation and pathogen fragment loading onto MHC 
molecules for antigen presentation to T cells. Herpesviruses have been used to 
demonstrate these novel functions of autophagy, which previously has been 
primarily appreciated for its pro-survival role during starvation. In this 
review, we summarize recent findings how macroautophagy restricts herpesvirus 
infections directly, how macroautophagy and chaperone mediated autophagy 
contribute to herpesviral antigen presentation on MHC molecules, and which 
mechanisms herpesviruses have developed to interfere with these pathways. These 
studies suggest that herpesviruses significantly modulate autophagy to escape 
from its functions in innate and adaptive immunity.