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Updated: Nov 26, 2025

Detection and Quantification of Tunneling Nanotubes Using 3D Volume View Images
Published on: August 31, 2022
The Ways of Actin: Why Tunneling Nanotubes Are Unique Cell Protrusions
Nina Ljubojevic1, J Michael Henderson2, Chiara Zurzolo3
1Membrane Traffic and Pathogenesis, Institut Pasteur, UMR3691 CNRS, 75015 Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, ED394 - Physiologie, Physiopathologie et Thérapeutique, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Actin remodeling is at the heart of the response of cells to external or internal stimuli, allowing a variety of membrane protrusions to form. Fifteen years ago, tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) were identified, bringing a novel addition to the family of actin-supported cellular protrusions. Their unique property as conduits for cargo transfer between distant cells emphasizes the unique nature of TNTs among other protrusions. While TNTs in different pathological and physiological scenarios have been described, the molecular basis of how TNTs form is not well understood. In this review, we discuss the role of several actin regulators in the formation of TNTs and suggest potential players based on their comparison with other actin-based protrusions. New perspectives for discovering a distinct TNT formation pathway would enable us to target them in treating the increasing number of TNT-involved pathologies.
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