Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Smith IF
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3077701 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Smith Ian F IF Shuai Jianwei J Parker Ian I
Biophysical journal 20110401 8
A new mechanism of cell-cell communication was recently proposed after the discovery of tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) between cells. TNTs are membrane protrusions with lengths of tens of microns and diameters of a few hundred nanometers that permit the exchange of membrane and cytoplasmic constituents between neighboring cells. TNTs have been reported to mediate intercellular Ca(2+) signaling; however, our simulations indicate that passive diffusion of Ca(2+) ions alone would be inadequate for effi ...[more]