Mammalian cells internalize phage T4 and use it as a resource for growth and survival

Monash University researchers applied highly purified phage T4 to mammalian cells in vitro and found it was rapidly internalized into macropinosomes without activating the TLR9 or cGAS-STING DNA-sensing pathways. T4 instead activated AKT-dependent signalling that increased cell metabolism and survival and down-regulated CDK1, leading the authors to conclude that mammalian cells take up phages as a resource to promote growth and metabolism.