Tunneling nanotubes: a new dimension of intercellular communication and recent progress
Xinyu Dong, Yan Xuan, Muning Wang, Siyao Chang, Xuesong Hu, Zhiyang Han · 2026
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Description
Xinyu Dong and co-authors review tunneling nanotubes, the hair-thin bridges that let neighboring cells hand material directly to each other. Published in 2026, the synthesis contrasts direct bridge transfer with the slower routes of drifting signals and parcel-like vesicles. Cargo can range from ions and RNA to whole organelles, carried along bridges built mainly from actin cables.
A central problem is proof, since the fragile bridges lack a unique marker and look much like several other cell protrusions under the microscope. The review proposes a minimum evidence checklist and a repeatable identification workflow, then sorts look-alike structures and grades disease claims by evidence strength. Bridges can rescue starving cells metabolically, yet the same channels may spread harm, giving the field a double-edged reputation to resolve.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Xinyu Dong, Yan Xuan, Muning Wang, Siyao Chang, Xuesong Hu, Zhiyang Han |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 98695 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |