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Detection and Quantification of Tunneling Nanotubes Using 3D Volume View Images

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Interpericyte tunnelling nanotubes regulate neurovascular coupling.

Luis Alarcon-Martinez^1,2, Deborah Villafranca-Baughman^3,4, Heberto Quintero^3,4

¹Department of Neuroscience, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. lalarcon@um.es.

|August 14, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Newly discovered interpericyte tunnelling nanotubes (IP-TNTs) connect retinal pericytes, enabling communication and coordinating blood flow with neuronal activity. Damage to these nanotubes impairs neurovascular coupling, while their preservation restores function.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Physiology

Background:

Neurovascular coupling matches blood flow to neuronal activity.
Pericytes are strategically located on capillaries and regulate microcirculation.
The role of pericytes in coordinating capillary networks was previously unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the existence and function of connections between pericytes.
To determine if pericytes synchronize microvascular dynamics and neurovascular coupling.
To elucidate the role of these connections in the mouse retina.

Main Methods:

Identification of interpericyte tunnelling nanotubes (IP-TNTs) using two-photon microscopy in mouse retina.
Analysis of IP-TNT structure, organelle transport, and calcium (Ca2+) wave propagation.
Assessment of IP-TNT function in response to light stimulation, ablation, ischemia, and pharmacological intervention.

Main Results:

Discovered IP-TNTs connecting separate pericytes, forming a functional network.
Demonstrated IP-TNTs facilitate intercellular Ca2+ waves and organelle transport.
Showed IP-TNTs are crucial for coordinating light-evoked responses and regulating neurovascular coupling.
Found that IP-TNT damage impairs blood flow regulation, while preservation rescues function.

Conclusions:

IP-TNTs are a novel structural and functional component of the retinal neurovascular unit.
These nanotubes mediate communication between pericytes, essential for coordinated capillary network function.
IP-TNTs play a critical role in regulating neurovascular coupling under physiological and pathological conditions.