Berlin 2024 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 11: Cell Mechanics I

BP 11.8: Vortrag

Dienstag, 19. März 2024, 12:00–12:15, H 2032

Investigating single heart cell communication through TNTs using multi-mode ROCS microscopy — •arash felekary and alexander rohrbach — Lab for Bio- and Nano-Photonics, IMTEK, Freiburg, Germany

Cell-cell communication performs various biological functions, particularly in the heart. Among other communication pathways, tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are of high interest due to their distinctive characteristics and functions. TNTs are dynamic, thin protrusions, up to 100μm long, and are not in contact with the substrate. To understand TNT functions in cardiac cell communication, we used Rotating Coherent Scattering (ROCS) microscopy, a label-free super-resolution imaging in different imaging modes. Using ROCS microscopy in total internal reflection (TIR), and dark-field (DF) modes, we quantified the growth of TNTs in Fibroblasts (FB) in the absence and presence of cardio-myocytes (CM), and we studied the influence of the Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) on TNT growth speed. After TNT establishment, we recorded and analyzed the dynamics of lamellipodia motion along TNTs using ROCS in Non-TIR and Bright field (BF) mode. Our findings revealed a linear relationship between TNT density and lamellipodia motion velocity. This suggests that TNTs facilitate cell-cell communication. Our findings also suggest that the interaction between FB cells undergoes distinct phases or steps, characterized by the spatial and temporal evolution of protrusions. We have developed a mathematical model to describe lamellipodia motion along TNTs and compare the results with those from experiments.

Keywords: Cell Communication; Tunneling Nanotubes (TNTs); label-free; Super-resolution; Cardiac Fibroblasts