隧道纳米管(TNT)很薄,连接细胞并允许各种分子转移的膜状突起,包括蛋白质,细胞器,和遗传物质。TNTs参与了广泛的生物过程,包括细胞间通讯,耐药性,和病毒传播。在癌症中,在过去的十年中,它们在肿瘤进展和转移中的潜在关键作用得到了更深入的研究。TNTs,作为在短距离和长距离形成的细胞接触依赖性突起,使信号分子和货物在癌细胞之间交换,促进他们行动的沟通和协调。这种协调诱导了一种同步,这种同步被认为通过允许癌细胞协调来介导TNT定向的耐药性进化,包括通过直接将化疗药物驱逐到邻近细胞。尽管自2004年首次发表有关其存在的报告以来,TNT生物学的整体领域取得了进展(RustomA,SaffrichR,MarkovicI,WaltherP,GerdesHH,科学。303:1007-10,2004),对TNTs的功能至关重要的形成机制和成分是复杂的,尚未完全了解。然而,他们的监管牵涉到几个因素,包括肌动蛋白聚合,微管动力学,和信号通路。发现形成所必需和足够的TNT特异性成分,维护,和行动为癌症药物发现开辟了一条新的潜在途径。因此,靶向TNTs可能为癌症治疗提供有希望的治疗策略.通过破坏TNT的形成或功能,有可能抑制肿瘤的生长和转移,克服耐药性。
Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are thin, membranous protrusions that connect cells and allow for the transfer of various molecules, including proteins, organelles, and genetic material. TNTs have been implicated in a wide range of biological processes, including intercellular communication, drug resistance, and viral transmission. In cancer, they have been investigated more deeply over the past decade for their potentially pivotal role in tumor progression and metastasis. TNTs, as cell contact-dependent protrusions that form at short and long distances, enable the exchange of signaling molecules and cargo between cancer cells, facilitating communication and coordination of their actions. This coordination induces a synchronization that is believed to mediate the TNT-directed evolution of drug resistance by allowing cancer cells to coordinate, including through direct expulsion of chemotherapeutic drugs to neighboring cells. Despite advances in the overall field of TNT biology since the first published report of their existence in 2004 (Rustom A, Saffrich R, Markovic I, Walther P, Gerdes HH, Science. 303:1007-10, 2004), the mechanisms of formation and components vital for the function of TNTs are complex and not yet fully understood. However, several factors have been implicated in their regulation, including actin polymerization, microtubule dynamics, and signaling pathways. The discovery of TNT-specific components that are necessary and sufficient for their formation, maintenance, and action opens a new potential avenue for drug discovery in cancer. Thus, targeting TNTs may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. By disrupting TNT formation or function, it may be possible to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis and overcome drug resistance.