Imaging Tunneling Membrane Tubes Elucidates Cell Communication in Tumors

Emil Lou; Sepideh Gholami; Yevgeniy Romin; Venugopal Thayanithy; Sho Fujisawa; Snider Desir; Clifford J Steer; Subbaya Subramanian; Yuman Fong; Katia Manova-Todorova; Malcolm A S Moore

doi:10.1016/j.trecan.2017.08.001

Imaging Tunneling Membrane Tubes Elucidates Cell Communication in Tumors

Trends Cancer. 2017 Oct;3(10):678-685. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2017.08.001. Epub 2017 Sep 14.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Integrative Biology and Physiology Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Surgical Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
³ Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Integrative Biology and Physiology Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
⁶ Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
⁷ Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
⁸ Department of Surgery, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
⁹ Department of Cell Biology, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, NY 10021, USA.

PMID: 28958386
DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2017.08.001

Abstract

Intercellular communication is a vital yet underdeveloped aspect of cancer pathobiology. This Opinion article reviews the importance and challenges of microscopic imaging of tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) in the complex tumor microenvironment. The use of advanced microscopy to characterize TNTs in vitro and ex vivo, and related extensions called tumor microtubes (TMs) reported in gliomas in vivo, has propelled this field forward. This topic is important because the identification of TNTs and TMs fills the gap in our knowledge of how cancer cells communicate at long range in vivo, inducing intratumor heterogeneity and resistance to treatment. Here we discuss the concept that TNTs/TMs fill an important niche in the ever-changing microenvironment and the role of advanced microscopic imaging to elucidate that niche.

Keywords: cancer cell biology; in vivo imaging; intercellular communication; tumor microtubes; tunneling nanotubes.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cell Communication*
Humans
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Molecular Imaging / methods*
Neoplasms / metabolism*
Neoplasms / pathology*
Tumor Microenvironment*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding