Inception mechanisms of tunneling nanotubes

Drab, Mitja (author), Stopar, David (author), Kralj-Iglič, Veronika (author), Iglič, Aleš (author)

Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are thin membranous tubes that interconnect cells, representing a novel route of cell-to-cell communication and spreading of pathogens. TNTs form between many cell types, yet their inception mechanisms remain elusive. We review in this study general concepts related to the formation and stability of membranous tubular structures with a focus on a deviatoric elasticity model of membrane nanodomains. We review experimental evidence that tubular structures initiate from local membrane bending facilitated by laterally distributed proteins or anisotropic membrane nanodomains. We further discuss the numerical results of several theoretical and simulation models of nanodomain segregation suggesting the mechanisms of TNT inception and stability. We discuss the coupling of nanodomain segregation with the action of protruding cytoskeletal forces, which are mostly provided in eukaryotic cells by the polymerization of f-actin, and review recent inception mechanisms of TNTs in relation to motor proteins.

• Language: English
• Keywords: tunneling nanotubes, filopodia, anisotropic membrane domains, cytoskeletal forces, f-actin
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering; MF - Faculty of Medicine; BF - Biotechnical Faculty; ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2019
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 6, art. 626
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-132233
• UDC: 577
• ISSN on article: 2073-4409
• DOI: 10.3390/cells8060626
• COBISS.SI-ID: 12576084
• Publication date in RUL: 18.10.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Cells
• Shortened title: Cells
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4409
• COBISS.SI-ID: 519958809

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: 21.06.2019

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: nanotube, filopodija, anizotropne membranske inkluzije, citoskeletne sile, f-aktin