title: Extracellular ultrathin fibers sensitive to intracellular reactive oxygen species: formation of intercellular membrane bridges.
abstract: Membrane bridges are key cellular structures involved in intercellular communication; however, dynamics for their formation are not well understood. We demonstrated the formation and regulation of novel extracellular ultrathin fibers in NIH3T3 cells using confocal and atomic force microscopy. At adjacent regions of neighboring cells, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and glucose oxidase induced ultrathin fiber formation, which was prevented by Trolox, a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger. The height of ROS-sensitive ultrathin fibers ranged from 2 to 4 nm. PMA-induced formation of ultrathin fibers was inhibited by cytochalasin D, but not by Taxol or colchicine, indicating that ultrathin fibers mainly comprise microfilaments. PMA-induced ultrathin fibers underwent dynamic structural changes, resulting in formation of intercellular membrane bridges. Thus, these fibers are formed by a mechanism(s) involving ROS and involved in formation of intercellular membrane bridges. Furthermore, ultrastructural imaging of ultrathin fibers may contribute to understanding the diverse mechanisms of cell-to-cell communication and the intercellular transfer of biomolecules, including proteins and cell organelles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry and Institute of Medical Science, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-do 200-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Se-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Jin-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jung-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Young-Myeong
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwon-Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Ha
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051379:Mice; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate