Discovery of the migrasome, an organelle mediating release of cytoplasmic contents during cell migration

• Published in: Cell research Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 24 - 38
• Main Authors: Ma, Liang, Li, Ying, Peng, Junya, Wu, Danni, Zhao, Xiaoxin, Cui, Yitong, Chen, Lilian, Yan, Xiaojun, Du, Yanan, Yu, Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.01.2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/378/548/2590; 631/80/642; 631/80/84; Actins - metabolism; Animals; Biological Transport; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Cytoplasm - metabolism; Cytoplasm - ultrastructure; Fibers; Humans; Life Sciences; Mice; Organelles - metabolism; Organelles - ultrastructure; Original; original-article; 中介; 囊泡; 细胞器; 细胞摄取; 细胞迁移; 胞质; 迁移过程; 释放机制; migracytosis; migration; vesicle; retraction fibers; migrasome
• ISSN: 1001-0602; 1748-7838; 1748-7838
• DOI: 10.1038/cr.2014.135

Cells communicate with each other through secreting and releasing proteins and vesicles. Many cells can migrate. In this study, we report the discovery of migracytosis, a cell migration-dependent mechanism for releasing cellular contents, and migrasomes, the vesicular structures that mediate migracytosis. As migrating cells move, they leave long tubular strands, called retraction fibers, behind them. Large vesicles, which contain numerous smaller vesicles, grow on the tips and intersections of retraction fibers. These fibers, which connect the vesicles with the main cell body, eventually break, and the vesieles are released into the extraeellular space or directly taken up by surrounding cells. Since the formation of these vesicles is migration-dependent, we named them ＂migrasomes＂. We also found that cytosolic contents can be transported into migrasomes and released from the cell through migrasomes. We named this migration-dependent release mechanism ＂migracytosis＂.