Helical organization of microtubules occurs in a minority of tunneling membrane nanotubes in normal and cancer urothelial cells

Resnik, Nataša (author), Prezelj, Tim (author), Luca, Giulia M. R. de (author), Manders, Erik (author), Polishchuk, Roman S. (author), Veranič, Peter (author), Erdani-Kreft, Mateja (author)

Tunneling membrane nanotubes (TnTs) are membrane protrusions connecting nearby or distant cells in vitro and in vivo. Functions of TnTs in cellular processes are various and rely on TnT structure, which also depends on cytoskeletal composition. In the present study, we focused on the organization of microtubules (MTs) and intermediate filaments (IFs) in TnTs of urothelial cells. We analysed TnTs of normal porcine urothelial cells, which morphologically and physiologically closely resemble normal human urothelial cells, and of cancer cells derived from invasive human urothelial neoplasm. Wide-field fluorescence, confocal and super-resolution microscopy techniques, together with image analyses and 3D reconstructions enlightened specific MT-IF organization in TnTs, and for the first time revealed that MTs and IFs co-occur in the majority of normal and cancer urothelial cell TnTs. Our findings show that in the initiation segment of TnTs, MTs are cross-linked with each other into filamentous network, however in the middle and the attaching segment of TnT, MTs can helically enwrap IFs, the phenomenon that has not been shown before within the TnTs. In this study, we assess MT-IF co-occurrence in TnTs and present evidence that such helical organization of MTs enwrapping IFs is only occurring in a minority of the TnTs. We also discuss the possible cell-biological and physiological reasons for helical organization of MTs in TnTs.

• Language: English
• Keywords: microtubules, tunneling membrane nanotubes, cancer urothelial cells, helical organization, normal human urothelial cells, initiation segment, super-resolution microscopy techniques
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2018
• Number of pages: 8 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, art. 17133
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-128742
• UDC: 616.6
• ISSN on article: 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35370-y
• COBISS.SI-ID: 34052057
• Publication date in RUL: 27.07.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Scientific reports
• Shortened title: Sci. rep.
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• COBISS.SI-ID: 18727432

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 20.11.2018

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: mikrotubulari, tunelske membranske nanocevke, rakave urotelijske celice

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J3-7494
• Name: Tunelske membranske nanocevke za inovativno zdravljenje raka sečnega mehurja

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P3-0108
• Name: Diferenciacija urotelijskih celic