Nanotubular Highways for Intercellular Organelle Transport

TLDR

Cell‑to‑cell communication is essential for multicellular development and maintenance, and known mechanisms include chemical synapses, gap junctions, and plasmodesmata. The study aims to describe newly formed nanotubular structures that create complex networks and to propose a novel principle of intercellular organelle transfer based on membrane continuity. The authors characterized de novo nanotubular structures forming complex networks between cells, suggesting membrane continuity enables organelle transfer. These structures selectively transfer membrane vesicles and organelles while impeding small‑molecule flow.

Abstract

Cell-to-cell communication is a crucial prerequisite for the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. To date, diverse mechanisms of intercellular exchange of information have been documented, including chemical synapses, gap junctions, and plasmodesmata. Here, we describe highly sensitive nanotubular structures formed de novo between cells that create complex networks. These structures facilitate the selective transfer of membrane vesicles and organelles but seem to impede the flow of small molecules. Accordingly, we propose a novel biological principle of cell-to-cell interaction based on membrane continuity and intercellular transfer of organelles.