title: Exploring the human mesenchymal stem cell tubule communication network through electron microscopy.
abstract: Cells use several mechanisms to transfer information to other cells. In this study, we describe micro/nanotubular connections and exosome-like tubule fragments in multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from human arteries. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy allowed characterization of sinusoidal microtubular projections (700 nm average size, 200 µm average length, with bulging mitochondria and actin microfilaments); short, uniform, variously shaped nanotubular projections (100 nm, bidirectional communication); and tubule fragments (50 nm). This is the first study demonstrating that MSCs from human arteries constitutively interact through an articulate and dynamic tubule network allowing long-range cell to cell communication.
authors.affiliation: DIMES - Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Clinical Pathology, University of Bologna , Bologna , Italy and.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Resta
authors.forename: Gianandrea
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasquinelli
mesh_terms: D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008870:Microtubules / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure*
keywords: Human mesenchymal stem cells; cell to cell communication; electron microscopy; tunneling nanotubes