Fig. 5: Association of TNTs in the process of cell fusion in osteoclastogenesis. | Laboratory Investigation

Fig. 5: Association of TNTs in the process of cell fusion in osteoclastogenesis.

From: In vitro and in vivo detection of tunneling nanotubes in normal and pathological osteoclastogenesis involving osteoclast fusion

Fig. 5

a–d SEM analysis showed the cell fusion was generated through the fusion among late osteoclast precursors (a). As a possibility of the fusion process, TNTs formed between osteoclast precursors could become thicker and shorter just before cell fusion followed by fusion with each other to form multinucleated osteoclast-like cells (b–d). Arrows show the possible direction of cell-cell fusion by TNT-like structures (a–c). e–g To form larger osteoclasts, osteoclast-like cells were connected to the surrounding mononuclear osteoclast precursors via TNTs (e–g arrows). The TNT observed between the osteoclast precursors and the multinucleated osteoclast-like cell (e, f arrow). Short TNT-like structures formed between the multinucleated osteoclast-like cell and a cluster of osteoclast precursors in which cells are connected with each other (g arrows). h Demonstration of fusion between two multinucleated osteoclast-like cells, in which it was observed the direct plasma membrane contact associated with fine TNTs (arrows) in the vicinity of the fusion site. e-OCP: early osteoclast precursor. l-OCP: late osteoclast precursor. OC: multinucleated osteoclast-like cell. N: nucleus, Scale bars: 10 µm (a–h).

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