Tunneling nanotubes - Crossing the bridge [Nanotüp Tünelleme- Köprüyü geçmek]

Since their discovery and subsequent publication in 2004,tunneling nanotubes (tnts) have quickly gained interest in direct cellular communication. their name is taken from both their original discovery diameter size being 50-200 nm,and also their ability to move through the extracellular matrix (tunneling) to reach and couple with other cells. tnts are the extensions of the cell membrane which houses f-actin in smaller tubes (<0.7 μm) and both f-actin and microtubules in thicker (>0.7 μm diameter) nanotubes. each year more cell types have been discovered to form tnts and traffic cellular components. in recent years tnts have been found to traffic viruses,prions along with organelles and surface proteins. with new findings related to viral hijacking of tnts and spreading of diseases,tnts are now demonstrating a capability to spread disease among cells without activating an immune response. with new research focusing on pathogenesis and disease spreading,tnts are now becoming a larger area of intercellular networking and pose great importance to biomedical research. this review demonstrates some new ideas and research into tnts.