View Larger Version | A variety of goods appear to traverse the tunneling nanotubes between cells. The tiny conduits may carry signals that instruct nearby cells where and how to grow. Calcium ions and immune system markers alert neighboring cells to threats. Invading viruses, prions and bacteria may spread directly from cell to cell through the nanotubes, raising the infection rate in the body.Credit: From Left: Adapted From GERDES et al./FEBS Letters 2007; Adapted from Gerdes & Carvalho/Current opinion in Cell Biology 2008

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