Tunneling nanotube (TNT) is a newly discovered communication mode between animal cells in recent years, which have important physiological and pathological significance. However, the role of TNT in bone biology is still unclear. At present, there are many reports about tunneling nanotubes in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, osteoclast precursor cells, osteoblasts and immune cells. This review describes the research advances of TNT and its research progress in bone biology. It looks forward to the research direction of TNT in oral and maxillofacial bone development and bone biology, to provide new strategies for the maintenance of bone homeostasis and the treatment of bone diseases.
Animals ; Bone and Bones ; Nanotubes ; Osteoclasts ; Biology ; Cell Communication/physiology*

Skeletal muscle plays a paramount role in physical activity, metabolism, and energy balance, while its homeostasis is being challenged by multiple unfavorable factors such as injury, aging, or obesity. Exosomes, a subset of extracellular vesicles, are now recognized as essential mediators of intercellular communication, holding great clinical potential in the treatment of skeletal muscle diseases. Herein, we outline the recent research progress in exosomal isolation, characterization, and mechanism of action, and emphatically discuss current advances in exosomes derived from multiple organs and tissues, and engineered exosomes regarding the regulation of physiological and pathological development of skeletal muscle. These remarkable advances expand our understanding of myogenesis and muscle diseases. Meanwhile, the engineered exosome, as an endogenous nanocarrier combined with advanced design methodologies of biomolecules, will help to open up innovative therapeutic perspectives for the treatment of muscle diseases.
Exosomes/physiology* ; Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism* ; Cell Communication ; Homeostasis

Cell-to-cell connections provide conduits for signal exchanges, and play important functional roles in physiological and pathological processes of multicellular organisms. Membrane nanotubes are common long-distance connections between cells, not only transfer molecule signals and mitochondria, but also cooperate with gap junction and other cell-to-cell communications to transfer signals. During the last decade, there are many studies about membrane nanotubes, which focus on the similarities and differences between membrane nanotubes and other cell-to-cell communications, as well as their biological functions. In the present review, we summarized the latest findings about the structural diversity, the similarities and differences in signal transmission with other types of cell-to-cell communications, and physiological and pathological roles of membrane nanotubes.
Cell Communication ; Cell Membrane ; physiology ; Gap Junctions ; physiology ; Humans ; Mitochondria ; physiology ; Nanotubes

As the progenitor of most cell components in the hematopoietic microenvironment, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) exhibit self-renewal and multilineage differentiation capacity. Through direct interaction with hematopoietic cells, secreting extracellular matrix and factors, MSC maintain the integrity of hematopoietic microenvironment and regulate hematopoiesis accurately. This review summarized the function of MSC in hematopoietic regulation, such as secretion of cytokines supporting hematopoiesis, MSC expression and adhesion molecules interacting with hematopoietic cells, and supportive effects of transplantation combining MSC with HSC on hematopoietic reconstruction, and its clinical perspectives.
Cell Communication ; Cytokines ; biosynthesis ; Hematopoiesis ; physiology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; physiology ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; physiology

In vertebrate visual system, information is firstly processed in retina. With the development of the multi-electrode recording technique, concerted activity has been extensively observed in retinal ganglion cells of different species. However, the role of concerted activity in visual information processing is still unclear and under debating. This article reviews the recent studies focused on concerted activity among retinal ganglion cells, discussing the issues about its category, detection and physiological function.
Animals ; Cell Communication ; physiology ; Humans ; Photic Stimulation ; Retina ; physiology ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; physiology ; Visual Pathways ; physiology ; Visual Perception ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo observe the immune reaction in the mixed culture of host lymphocytes with allogenic and host endothelial cells.

METHODSThe host epithelial cells and lymphocytes from burn patients and allogenic epithelial cells were mix-cultured in different ratios, so as to simulate the local immune micro-environment of host skin island in intermingled skin grafting. In addition, the cells from normal human subjects were also mix-cultured as control. The lymphocyte cpm values were detected by (3)H-TdR and HLA molecules and T cell subgroup were determined by immunohistological technique.

RESULTS(1) The lymphocyte proliferation reaction could be effectively inhibited by the epithelial cells from burn patients but not from normal control. (2) The inhibition of host lymphocyte proliferation could not be mediated by the HLA-DQ molecules of epithelium from burn patients. (3) The positive expression rate of HLA-DR of epithelia from burn patients was evidently higher that that from normal control (P < 0.05), (4) The CD8 expression of lymphocyte in burn patients was significantly higher than that in normal control (P < 0.01), while the CD4 expression in burn patients was lower than that in normal control (P < 0.01). But there was no obvious difference of the CD3 expression between patients and normal subjects (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe lymphocyte proliferation reaction could be obviously inhibited by the host epithelium, which might be related to the specific immune state of the host lymphocytes and epithelium of burn patients.

Cell Communication ; immunology ; physiology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Division ; Epithelial Cells ; immunology ; physiology ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; immunology ; physiology ; Skin Transplantation ; immunology

Extracellular vesicles (EV),nanoscale vesicles encapsulated by phospholipid bilayers,are rich in biological molecules such as nucleic acids,metabolites,proteins,and lipids derived from parental cells.They are mainly involved in intercellular communication,signal transmission,and material transport and affect the functions of target cells.Ovulation disorders account for a higher proportion in the factors causing infertility which demonstrates increasing incidence year by year.Non-coding RNAs participate in a series of physiological and pathological processes of follicular development,playing a key role in female infertility.This review systematically introduces the types and biological roles of EV and elaborates on the regulation of follicular development from the effects of EV and non-coding RNAs on granulosa cell function,oocyte maturation,ovulation,luteal formation,and steroid hormone synthesis,providing a new idea and a breakthrough point for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.
Female ; Humans ; Oogenesis/physiology* ; Granulosa Cells ; Extracellular Vesicles/physiology* ; Cell Communication ; RNA, Untranslated ; Infertility

Studying the functional network during the interaction between emotion and cognition is an important way to reveal the underlying neural connections in the brain and nowadays, it has become a hot topic in cognitive neuroscience. Granger causality (GC), based on multivariate autoregressive (MVAR) model, and being able to be used to analyse causal characteristic of brain regions has been widely used in electroencephalography (EEG) in event-related paradigms research. In this study, we recorded the EEGs from 13 normal subjects (6 males and 7 females) during emotional face search task. We utilized Granger causality to establish a causal model of different brain areas under different rhythms at specific stages of cognition, and then convinced the brain dynamic network topological properties in the process of emotion and cognition. Therefore, we concluded that in the alpha band, (1) negative emotion face induced larger causal effects than positive ones; (2) 100-200ms emotional signal was the most prominent ones while 300-400ms and 700-800ms would take the second place; (3) The rear brain region modulated the front in the process of causal modulation; (4) The frontal and pillow area involved in the brain causal modulation as a key brain area; and (5) Negative partiality existed in the information processing, especially during 0-100ms after the negative expression stimulation.
Alpha Rhythm ; physiology ; Brain ; physiology ; Cell Communication ; physiology ; Cognition ; physiology ; Electroencephalography ; Emotions ; physiology ; Evoked Potentials ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Neurological ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nerve Net ; physiology ; Neurons ; physiology

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and are critical for cancer initiation and progression. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) could notably influence the phenotype of TAMs through various targets and signal pathways during cancer progression due to their post-transcriptional regulation. In this review, we discuss mainly the regulatory function of miRNAs on macrophage differentiation, functional polarization, and cellular crosstalk. Firstly, during the generation process, miRNAs take part in the differentiation from myeloid cells to mature macrophages, and this maturation process directly influences their recruitment into the TME, attracted by tumor cells. Secondly, macrophages in the TME can be either tumor-promoting or tumor-suppressing, depending on their functional polarization. Large numbers of miRNAs can influence the polarization of macrophages, which is crucial for tumor progression, including tumor cell invasion, intravasation, extravasation, and premetastatic site formation. Thirdly, crosstalk between tumor cells and macrophages is essential for TME formation and tumor progression, and miRNAs can be the mediator of communication in different forms, especially when encapsulated in microvesicles or exosomes. We also assess the potential value of certain macrophage-related miRNAs (MRMs) as diagnostic and prognostic markers, and discuss the possible development of MRM-based therapies.
Cell Communication ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Polarity ; Humans ; Macrophages/physiology* ; MicroRNAs/physiology* ; Myeloid Cells/cytology* ; Neoplasms/therapy* ; Tumor Microenvironment

Propagated sensation along meridians (PSM) is a phenomenon that a sensation moves along meridians during stimulation of an acupoint. PSM has an appearance rate of 1.3% among people and have characteristics of low speed, going toward afflicted sites and being blocked by physical pressure which is difficult to be explained by known neural and blood transmission. Volume transmission (VT) is a widespread mode of intercellular communication in the central nervous system that occurs in the extracellular fluid and in the cerebrospinal fluid. VT signals moves from source to target cells via energy gradients leading to diffusion and convection (flow) which is slow, long distance and much less space filling. VT channel diffuse forming a plexus in the extracellular space with two parameters of volume fraction and tortuosity. Some experiments showed an information transmission between adjacent and distant acupoints along meridians cross spinal segments. This process is a cross-excitation between peripheral nerve terminals which is related to nonsynaptic transmission. Some neurotransmitters or neuropeptides such as glutamate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and neuropeptide such as substance P, neurokinin A and calcitonin gene-related peptide relate with the cross-excitation which can be regards as VT signals. Comparing the characteristics of PSM and VT, many similar aspects can be found leading to an assumption that PSM is a process of VT in peripheral tissue along meridians. The reason why VT signals transmit along meridians is that the meridian is rich in interstitial fluid under the condition of low hydraulic resistance which has been proven experimentally. According to Darcy's law which descript the flow of interstitial fluid and conservation equation, interstitial fluid will move toward meridians and flow along meridians that restrict the VT signals within the channel and accelerate the flow according to Fick's diffusion law. During the process, a degranulation of histamine from mast cells happens on the route which can expand capillary and increase the blood perfusion and interstitial fluid which had already been observed. The mechanism of PSM is featured by alternative axon reflex (wired transmission, WT) and VT in peripheral tissue along meridians, sending simultaneously a continuous sensate signal to control nerve system which can be felt like a PSM.
Cell Communication ; Humans ; Meridians ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; metabolism ; Organ Specificity ; Sensation ; physiology