Social amoebae form nanotube networks linking multiple cells

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Nanotube connections between social amoebae
Representative image showing a tunneling nanotube (TNT) connecting two individual amoeba cells. TNTs allow the transfer of cellular cargo between cells. The amoeba cells are shown in orange (actin labeled), and the transferred cellular material (endomembrane organelle) is shown in blue. Scale bar: 10 µm. Credit: Harikumar R. Suma

Social amoebae are unicellular organisms that act in concert, requiring extensive communication. Pierre Stallforth and colleagues studied modes of communication among cells of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, using fluorescent labeling and various imaging techniques.

Published in PNAS Nexus, the authors found that, in addition to signaling molecules drifting freely from cell to cell or inside membrane vesicles, the amoebae also create tunneling nanotubes that physically connect cell membranes. These actin-rich protrusions allow the transfer of cytoplasmic components and organelles over distances up to 100 μm.

Such connections are found in multicellular organisms and metazoans but were previously unknown in social unicellular lineages. The nanotubes continue to function in cytoskeleton-perturbed conditions, which the authors induced with actin-depolymerizing agents, highlighting their importance to the organisms.

The authors found various types of nanotubes, including branched forms connecting more than two cells. The protrusions were also occasionally seen connecting two different species of amoebae. According to the authors, tunneling nanotube connections could have played a role in the evolution of multicellularity, as intercellular communication is one of the most important traits driving this transition.

Nanotube connections between social amoebae
Representative image showing the formation of a double filopodial bridge (DFB), one mechanism by which tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) can form. Filopodia from two amoeba cells (actin-labeled, blue and orange) come into direct contact with each other before forming a TNT. Scale bar: 10 µm. Credit: Harikumar R. Suma

Publication details

Harikumar R Suma et al, Nanotubes enable intercellular communication in early-branching eukaryotes, PNAS Nexus (2026). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgag238

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Citation: Social amoebae form nanotube networks linking multiple cells (2026, July 28) retrieved 28 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-social-amoebae-nanotube-networks-linking.html

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