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Detection and Quantification of Tunneling Nanotubes Using 3D Volume View Images
Published on: August 31, 2022
Hen or egg?: some thoughts on tunneling nanotubes.
1Max-Planck-Institute for Metals Research, Department of New Materials and Biosystems, Stuttgart, Germany. Rustom@nbio.uni-heidelberg.de
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|October 23, 2009
Summary
Tunnelling nanotubes are newly discovered cell structures that connect animal cells, similar to plant plasmodesmata. These nanotubes may be crucial for intercellular communication, pathogen spread, and understanding early multicellular evolution.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Multicellular organisms require precise coordination between cells and tissues.
- Eukaryotic cells utilize structures like synapses and gap junctions for communication.
- Tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs) are recently identified membranous channels connecting animal cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of tunnelling nanotubes in intercellular communication.
- To investigate the involvement of TNTs in physiological and pathological processes, including pathogen spread.
- To compare TNTs with plant plasmodesmata and consider their evolutionary implications.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of intercellular structures in animal and plant cells.
- Review of emerging evidence on tunnelling nanotube function.
- Literature synthesis on the role of TNTs in cell-to-cell communication and disease.
Main Results:
- Tunnelling nanotubes facilitate direct intercellular material transfer between diverse animal cells.
- TNTs are implicated in the spread of various pathogens, highlighting their physiological and pathological relevance.
- Striking similarities exist between TNTs and plant plasmodesmata, suggesting conserved mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- The discovery of tunnelling nanotubes necessitates a re-evaluation of intercellular communication paradigms.
- TNTs offer novel insights into the early evolution of multicellularity.
- Further research into TNTs is crucial for understanding cell coordination, disease, and evolution.
