Tunneling nanotube (TNT)-mediated cell-cell communication

Amin Rustom Department of Neurobiology University of Heidelberg Im Neuenheimer Feld 364 69120 Heidelberg Germany   Phone:  +49-6221-548317 Fax:  +49-6221-546700 eMail:  Rustom@nbio.uni-heidelberg.de

Research Summary

Tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs) are increasingly recognized as central players in a multitude of cellular mechanisms and diseases. Although their existence and functions in animal organisms are still elusive, emerging evidence suggests that they are involved in developmental processes, tissue regeneration, viral infections or pathogen transfer, stem cell differentiation, immune responses as well as initiation and progression of neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. A broader field of vision – including their striking functional and structural resemblance with membrane tube-mediated phenomena found throughout the phylogenetic tree, from plasmodesmata in plants down to bacterial nanotubes – points to a universal, conserved and tightly regulated mechanism of cell-to-cell communication.

Structure of the Group