Tunneling Nanotubes and the Eye: Intercellular Communication and Implications for Ocular Health and Disease

<div>Cellular protrusions formed by ocular trabecular meshwork (TM) cells. (a, b) The cell membrane of TM cells was labeled with CD44 antibodies (cyan), and vesicles were labeled with DiO (green) or DiD (red). DiD-labeled vesicles are clearly observed in a TNT connecting to a DiO-labeled cell. (c, d) A long cellular protrusion (130 <i>μ</i>m) extends between two TM cells in culture (CD44 immunostaining = green; SiR-actin = red). At higher magnification, the tips of the protrusion are not fused to form a continuous tunnel so this structure may be a cytoneme. (e–g) TM cells were labeled with DiO (e; green) or with MitoTracker (f; red) and CD44 cell membrane immunostaining (cyan). Red mitochondria are transferred into a DiO-labeled cell via TNTs. <span class="nowrap"><svg height="12.7373pt" id="M1" style="vertical-align:-3.429399pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -9.3079 74.2212 12.7373" width="74.2212pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M409 504C401 567 396 607 392 642C354 654 312 665 266 665C137 665 60 583 60 487C60 374 161 325 225 290C300 250 355 215 355 141C355 68 311 21 235 21C131 21 86 122 71 183L41 176C48 128 61 42 68 21C78 16 93 8 118 0C142 -7 175 -15 216 -15C349 -15 438 69 438 174C438 287 344 333 265 374C186 414 138 449 138 522C138 576 172 631 249 631C336 631 363 562 380 499L409 504Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,6.345,0)"><path d="M390 111C344 68 312 56 269 56C212 56 118 102 118 241C118 346 175 401 241 401C277 401 312 388 342 360C350 352 355 349 361 349C372 349 394 371 394 392C394 403 391 411 378 422C362 436 329 449 288 449H287C250 449 190 432 138 392C71 341 37 274 37 197C37 90 112 -12 238 -12C297 -12 363 32 407 90L390 111Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.883,0)"><path d="M433 39L423 65C413 59 399 54 387 54C370 54 352 69 352 114V299C352 352 342 392 307 422C285 440 255 449 225 449C168 437 102 399 75 379C56 365 44 353 44 339C44 315 69 296 87 296C101 296 111 303 116 319C124 349 133 371 145 385C156 397 171 404 190 404C241 404 275 364 275 291V274C253 256 180 229 120 209C65 190 39 159 39 110C39 47 88 -12 159 -12C189 -12 237 25 277 52C282 35 288 21 301 8C312 -3 333 -12 348 -12L433 39ZM275 84C256 65 221 48 195 48C164 48 124 73 124 124C124 161 146 180 185 198C206 208 254 229 275 240V84Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,17.655,0)"><path d="M238 0V26C174 32 166 38 166 104V712C132 700 70 683 18 677V653C81 647 87 645 87 577V104C87 38 78 32 15 26V0H238Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,20.944,0)"><path d="M380 106C343 72 306 56 265 56C195 56 116 112 115 248C235 252 361 262 377 265C396 269 400 277 400 297C400 374 333 449 250 449H249C198 449 144 421 103 376S37 269 37 201C37 88 109 -12 232 -12C263 -12 332 6 395 84L380 106ZM225 412C281 412 315 364 314 312C314 297 308 292 290 292C232 290 176 289 120 289C135 370 180 412 225 412Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,30.199,0)"><path d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,41.462,0)"><path d="M412 140C382 77 369 73 315 73H129L270 222C362 320 402 379 402 466C402 571 322 635 234 635C177 635 130 609 99 576L42 495L64 475C90 514 133 568 201 568C274 568 318 519 318 435C318 349 255 267 193 193C144 135 87 78 32 23V0H405C417 45 427 89 440 131L412 140Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,47.702,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,56.117,0)"><path d="M538 96L524 119C492 88 454 63 446 63C439 63 434 70 440 101C463 223 491 341 518 448H508L433 422L401 276C355 192 240 56 188 56C163 56 154 89 163 133C184 233 207 338 235 443L230 448L152 424L58 17C40 -60 23 -143 23 -185C23 -241 42 -261 63 -261C92 -261 117 -241 125 -227L124 -221C109 -209 89 -165 89 -103C89 -55 96 -13 105 26H107C121 -3 134 -12 151 -12C172 -12 194 -5 221 16C279 61 330 124 384 194H386C381 159 377 141 368 105C343 3 363 -12 383 -12C416 -12 486 35 538 96Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,63.333,0)"><path d="M797 0V26C739 32 732 36 732 103V296C732 394 682 449 605 449C576 449 550 437 529 423C504 407 475 389 446 366C425 418 382 449 334 449C303 449 279 437 253 421C222 403 201 385 180 371V452C135 432 85 419 41 411V388C99 379 102 374 102 310V103C102 38 93 32 27 26V0H238V26C189 32 180 38 180 103V338C210 363 250 390 289 390C351 390 377 348 377 275V103C377 37 368 32 306 26V0H520V26C465 32 456 38 456 101V296C456 314 455 326 453 338C491 369 529 390 565 390C628 390 653 345 653 274V107C653 36 642 32 583 26V0H797Z"></path></g></svg>.</span></div>

BioMed Research International

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Figure 4

Figure 4: Tunneling Nanotubes and the Eye: Intercellular Communication and Implications for Ocular Health and Disease 