#cell communication

Early Communication

Transfer of soluble factors and organelles from cell to cell via open-ended tunnelling nanotubes demonstrated in living zebrafish embryos

Read the published research article here

Video from work by Olga Korenkova and Shiyu Liu, and colleagues

Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3691, Membrane Traffic and Pathogenesis, Paris, France

Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Developmental Cell, November 2024

Give and Take

Communication between cells is fundamental to an organism's survival. They can do this by releasing small molecules which diffuse across to neighbouring cells, which can receive and respond to those messages. However, that might not be the only way. Here, researchers studied how various proteins and RNA molecules that can usually be found in a cell’s cytoplasm may be able to be passed between cells. By tracking a delivery in the form of a protein called Cas9 that caused a glow of bioluminescence on successful transfer, they found that cells in direct or close contact form physical tube connections between them allowing this cargo passage. This video shows the tubular connection form between the donor (green) and receiver (magenta) cells and parcels of Cas9 being transferred. This introduces a new concept of how cells communicate with one another, both when healthy but also potentially when it comes to cancer progression.

Written by Sophie Arthur

Video from work by Congyan Zhang and Randy Schekman

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, CA, USA

Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife, March 2023

Sticky Infections

Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis; the top three sexually transmitted infections worldwide. What's at number 4? Trichomoniasis. It's caused by the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis, which sticks to cells lining the vagina or the urine-carrying duct in the penis. Different strains can infect the same body. Researchers now investigate how these strains communicate with each other by infecting human cells in a dish. Scanning electron microscopy of parasites (pictured, blue) revealed that different strains — some that stick well to cells (CDC1132) and some that are less sticky (G3) — communicate with each other by sending out tube-like protrusions (orange) of their cell membrane. This is facilitated by membrane packages (extracellular vesicles) released by the parasites. Analysing these vesicles revealed that they contain proteins involved in signalling and communication. Importantly, they found CDC1132 and G3 strains both become stickier in the presence of other strains. This may have implications for how trichomoniasis infection progresses.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Image from work by Nehuén Salas and colleagues

Laboratorio de Parásitos Anaerobios, Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife, May 2023

Tunnel Vision

A map drawn on a piece of paper can’t give you the full impression of a region’s real-world three-dimensional complexity. The same applies to cancer cells, as many experiments designed to improve our understanding examine their behaviour in a flat environment. Suspecting that tumour cell behaviour may be different in the depths of our bodies, researchers have developed a scaffold to enable and observe 3D growth. The study investigated tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs) long extensions from the cancer cells as they grew on a structure made of crosshatched nanofibres (pictured). TNTs transmit signals between cells and allow tumours to extend their microenvironments in many directions, ultimately aiding and abetting cancer spread. Describing the microscopic biophysics of these terrible tentacles, and providing a platform for further investigation, will help explain how cancers corrupt their environment and spread to new areas, as well as possibly pointing to new ways of keeping them in check.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image from work by Aniket Jana and colleagues

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Cancers, April 2022

Super Sonic Transport

Building all the different parts of a baby in the womb requires clear communication between cells. To achieve this, cells produce signalling molecules that tell their neighbours what to do. One of the most important of these is called Sonic Hedgehog (named after the video game character), which is involved in shaping many parts of an embryo, such as the developing brain, limbs and gut, and is also implicated in some types of cancer in adults. However, despite having so many important roles, little is known about exactly how it works. By tagging Sonic Hedgehog with a yellow fluorescent tags, researchers have discovered that it triggers the formations of long, spindly threads known as cytonemes, which helps it move between cells. Knowing more about how Sonic Hedgehog works not only sheds light on how healthy organs are built but also helps to explain what happens when things have gone wrong.

Written by Kat Arney

Image from work by Eric T Hall and colleagues

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife, February 2021

Exosomes: A Growing Area of Research

Cells are constantly communicating, and exosomes play a role in that process. As awareness increases, more patients are asking questions about this emerging topic.

At Miley Clinic, we’re committed to informed, transparent conversations as part of comprehensive patient care.