Tunneling Nanotube-Mediated Mitochondrial Transfer: A New Approach to Cell Protection

Abstract

Mitochondria are eukaryotic organelles involved in crucial biochemical processes in cells and owing to their importance in cellular functions; many studies have been conducted to demonstrate the effects of mitochondrial transfer between physically separated cells. Tunneling nanotubes have been denoted as the major route for mitochondrial transfer. Given that mitochondria regulate many cellular processes; perturbation in their internal organization ultimately leads to cellular failure. Interventions by using stem cells have shown that cell injury as a result of mitochondrial dysfunction caused by different insults can be reversed as miscellaneous studies have indicated