Revealing the structure and organization of intercellular tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) by STORM imaging
Lilin Huang, Jiao Zhang, Zekai Wu, Liangliang Zhou, Bin Yu, Yingying Jing, Danying Lin, Junle Qu
Abstract
Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are nanoscale, actin-rich, transient intercellular tubes for cell-to-cell communication, which transport various cargoes between distant cells. The structural complexity and spatial organization of the involved components of TNTs remain unknown. In this work, the STORM super-resolution imaging technique was applied to elucidate the structural organization of microfilaments and microtubules in intercellular TNTs at the nanometer scale. Our results reveal different distributions of microfilaments and intertwined structures of microtubules in TNTs, which promote the knowledge of TNT communications.
Topics & Concepts
MicrofilamentMicrotubuleIntracellularNanotechnologyIntracellular transportActinNanoscopic scaleMaterials scienceCell biologyBiophysicsCellCytoskeletonChemistryBiologyBiochemistryAdvanced Fluorescence Microscopy TechniquesMicrotubule and mitosis dynamicsAdvanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications