title: Cutting edge: Membrane nanotubes connect immune cells.
abstract: We present evidence that nanotubular highways, or membrane nanotubes, facilitate a novel mechanism for intercellular communication in the immune system. Nanotubes were seen to connect multiple cells together and were readily formed between a variety of cell types, including human peripheral blood NK cells, macrophages, and EBV-transformed B cells. Nanotubes could be created upon disassembly of the immunological synapse, as cells move apart. Thus, nanotubular networks could be assembled from transient immunological synapses. Nanotubes were seen to contain GFP-tagged cell surface class I MHC protein expressed in one of the connected cells. Moreover, GPI-conjugated to GFP originating from one cell was transferred onto the surface of another at the connection with a nanotube. Thus, nanotubes can traffic cell surface proteins between immune cells over many tens of microns. Determining whether there are physiological functions for nanotubes is an intriguing new goal for cellular immunology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Onfelt
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nedvetzki
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanagi
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins