ArticlePloS one2012
Tunneling nanotubes provide a unique conduit for intercellular transfer of cellular contents in human malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 256 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
256 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 430 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mitochondrial transfer in cancer: a global bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Mitochondrial Communication Networks in the Bone Microenvironment: From the Maintenance of Homeostasis to Translational Interventions for Bone Diseases.Stem cell reviews and reports · 2026Review
- Regulation and function of specialized membrane protrusions in intercellular communication.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2026Review
- Article
- MARCKS as a mediator and target for pathological tunneling nanotubes between patient-derived glioblastoma cells and astrocytes.Cell death & disease · 2026Article
- Article
- Tunneling nanotubes: a new dimension of intercellular communication and recent progress.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Review
- From energy provision to protein synthesis: Tunnelling nanotubes as mediators of intercellular metabolic cooperation in cancer.FEBS open bio · 2026Review
- Tunnelling Nanotube Projections May Interfere withMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Breaking cellular boundaries: molecular mechanisms of tunneling nanotube formation and fusion.Biochemical Society transactions · 2026Review
- Ribosome transfer via tunnelling nanotubes rescues protein synthesis in pancreatic cancer cells.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial DNA mutations and intercellular mitochondrial transfer in cancer: mechanisms, biological effects, and clinical potential.Biomarker research · 2026Review
- Article
- Mitochondrial transfer-mediated metabolic reprogramming and drug resistance in bone metastasis: mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Tumor treating fields in malignant pleural mesothelioma: from cytoskeletal collapse to immunophenotypic conversion.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial transfer in solid tumors: dual roles in tumor progression and therapeutic targeting.Extracellular vesicles and circulating nucleic acids · 2026Review
- The Impact of Neurotoxin Proteins Trafficked by Primary Cilia and Extracellular Vesicles in Neurodegenerative Diseases.Biology · 2025Review
- Interplay between tunneling nanotubes and Wnt Signaling: Insights into cytoskeletal regulation and therapeutic potential.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2025Review
- Article
- Molecular Dynamics of Trogocytosis and Other Contact-Dependent Cell Trafficking Mechanisms in Tumor Pathogenesis.Cancers · 2025Review
196 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tunneling nanotubes are long, non-adherent F-actin-based cytoplasmic extensions which connect proximal or distant cells and facilitate intercellular transfer. The identification of nanotubes has been limited to cell lines, and their role in cancer remains unclear. We detected tunneling nanotubes in mesothelioma cell lines and primary human mesothelioma cells. Using a low serum, hyperglycemic, acidic growth medium, we stimulated nanotube formation and bidirectional transfer of vesicles, proteins, and mitochondria between cells. Notably, nanotubes developed between malignant cells or between normal mesothelial cells, but not between malignant and normal cells. Immunofluorescent staining revealed their actin-based assembly and structure. Metformin and an mTor inhibitor, Everolimus, effectively suppressed nanotube formation. Confocal microscopy with 3-dimensional reconstructions of sectioned surgical specimens demonstrated for the first time the presence of nanotubes in human mesothelioma and lung adenocarcinoma tumor specimens. We provide the first evidence of tunneling nanotubes in human primary tumors and cancer cells and propose that these structures play an important role in cancer cell pathogenesis and invasion.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.