Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Contributed by: Monika Hegi, Marc Chamberlain, David Schiff, and Riccardo Soffietti Edited by: Kenneth Aldape Osswald et al report the discovery of membrane tubes that interconnect tumor cells in astrocytoma. These membrane tube protrusions, which they call tumor microtubes (TMs), form a functional network, allowing long-range communication among tumor cells. The dynamic properties of these TMs were investigated using intravital multiphoton laser-scanning microscopy (MPLSM) of human glioblastoma xenografts in mouse brains. Follow-up over long periods of time allowed observation of the infiltration of these membrane protrusions into the normal brain that had some resemblance to nerve cone growth. The TMs, reaching up to 500 μm in length, were shown to harbor mitochondria and vesicles and had the amazing capability of moving cell nuclei along the tube, constituting a novel mechanism of cell spread. Similarly, cells killed in the network by laser beam were replaced in this manner.
Source: Neuro-Oncology
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics (clinical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4249920316