PLOS Pathogens recently published a paper from Tom Kawula’s lab demonstrating that non-canonical autophagy provides a source of amino acids for Francisella tularensis. This provides a novel explanation for how these bacteria proliferate in what is typically thought to be a nutrient-limited intracellular environment. M&I graduate students Shaun Steele and Jason Brunton are co-first authors, and the study shows obvious influence from collaborator Nat Moorman, mTOR champion. Read the early online publication of this article – Francisella tularensis Harvests Nutrients Derived via…
Also see the Kawula lab’s companion piece (http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1003552), a mini-review that is currently highlighted as a “Featured Pearl” on the PLOS Pathogens website (http://www.plospathogens.org).