You Renchuan, Li Xiufang, Xu Yamei, Liu Yu, Lu Shenzhou, Li Mingzhong
National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, No. 199 Ren'ai Road, Industrial Park, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China.
Materials (Basel). 2014 Jun 18;7(6):4628-4639. doi: 10.3390/ma7064628.
Tunneling nanotubes are important membrane channels for cell-to-cell communication. In this study, we investigated the effect of the microenvironment on nanotubular structures by preparing a three-dimensional silk fibroin micropillar structure. In previous reports, tunneling nanotubes were described as stretched membrane channels between interconnected cells at their nearest distance. They hover freely in the cell culture medium and do not contact with the substratum. Interestingly, the micropillars could provide supporting points for nanotubular connection on silk fibroin films, where nanotubular structure formed a stable anchor at contact points. Consequently, the extension direction of nanotubular structure was affected by the micropillar topography. This result suggests that the hovering tunneling nanotubes in the culture medium will come into contact with the raised roadblock on the substrates during long-distance extension. These findings imply that the surface microtopography of biomaterials have an important influence on cell communication mediated by tunneling nanotubes.
隧道纳米管是细胞间通讯的重要膜通道。在本研究中，我们通过制备三维丝素蛋白微柱结构来研究微环境对纳米管结构的影响。在先前的报道中，隧道纳米管被描述为相互连接的细胞之间距离最近处伸展的膜通道。它们在细胞培养基中自由悬浮，不与基质接触。有趣的是，微柱可为丝素蛋白膜上的纳米管连接提供支撑点，纳米管结构在接触点处形成稳定的锚定。因此，纳米管结构的延伸方向受微柱形貌的影响。这一结果表明，培养基中悬浮的隧道纳米管在长距离延伸过程中会与基质上凸起的障碍物接触。这些发现意味着生物材料的表面微观形貌对由隧道纳米管介导的细胞通讯有重要影响。
