ArticleCell death and differentiation2015
Transfer of mitochondria via tunneling nanotubes rescues apoptotic PC12 cells.
Article in Cell death and differentiation, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 313 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
313 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 499 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mitochondrial Transfer in the Neurovascular Unit, Not Only for Energy Rescue: A Systematic Review.Aging and disease · 2024Pooled it
- Cellular Mechanisms Enabling Mitochondria Transfer and Transplantation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Article
- Convergent Astrocytic Failure in Parkinson's Disease: A System-Level Model of Pathogenesis and Treatment.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- Tunneling nanotubes regulate mitochondrial homeostasis between glioblastoma and astrocytes, and between tumor cells in vivo.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Intercellular mitochondrial transfer and trans-mitophagy in response to protein import dysfunction.The Journal of cell biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Regulation and function of specialized membrane protrusions in intercellular communication.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2026Review
- Emerging Roles of Cytoneme-Mediated Signaling in Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Platelet-derived mitochondrial transfer in cancer metastasis: mechanisms, functional consequences, and translational opportunities.Clinical & experimental metastasis · 2026Review
- Dual targeting of mitochondrial metabolism and Rho GTPase signaling to suppress cancer metastasis (Review).Oncology reports · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial quality control in health and disease: mechanisms and therapeutic targets.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- Blood-brain barrier and blood-tumoral barrier formation in glioblastoma: endothelial cells and glioblastoma stem cells at the immune-brain crossroad.Fluids and barriers of the CNS · 2026Review
- Article
- α-Synuclein triggers intercellular nanotubes formation to prevent apoptosis in astroglia by promoting stemness.Cell & bioscience · 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
- The molecular architecture of tunneling nanotubes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Dysfunction of the CD38-Miro1 Axis Disrupts Astrocyte-neuron Mitochondrial Transfer in Alzheimer's Disease: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Restoration.Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2026Review
253 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
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are F-actin-based membrane tubes that form between cells in culture and in tissues. They mediate intercellular communication ranging from electrical signalling to the transfer of organelles. Here, we studied the role of TNTs in the interaction between apoptotic and healthy cells. We found that pheochromocytoma (PC) 12 cells treated with ultraviolet light (UV) were rescued when cocultured with untreated PC12 cells. UV-treated cells formed a different type of TNT with untreated PC12 cells, which was characterized by continuous microtubule localized inside these TNTs. The dynamic behaviour of mCherry-tagged end-binding protein 3 and the accumulation of detyrosinated tubulin in these TNTs indicate that they are regulated structures. In addition, these TNTs show different biophysical properties, for example, increased diameter allowing dye entry, prolonged lifetime and decreased membrane fluidity. Further studies demonstrated that microtubule-containing TNTs were formed by stressed cells, which had lost cytochrome c but did not enter into the execution phase of apoptosis characterized by caspase-3 activation. Moreover, mitochondria colocalized with microtubules in TNTs and transited along these structures from healthy to stressed cells. Importantly, impaired formation of TNTs and untreated cells carrying defective mitochondria were unable to rescue UV-treated cells in the coculture. We conclude that TNT-mediated transfer of functional mitochondria reverse stressed cells in the early stages of apoptosis. This provides new insights into the survival mechanisms of damaged cells in a multicellular context.
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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.