Our bodies are made of trillions of cells, which organize into tissues and organs. For tissues to form and repair themselves, cells must communicate with one another across both short- and long-range distances. This is carried out by the release, spread and uptake of essential proteins.

The disruption of intercellular communication is linked to a wide range of developmental disorders, degenerative conditions and cancers. The goal of our work is to understand the mechanisms of how proteins spread to control cell-to-cell communication. We are particularly focused on protein movement in the spinal cord and how this regulates maintenance of spinal cord health.

Using new microscopy techniques, we’ve identified that proteins can move between cells by specialized structures called cytonemes. Cytonemes are long, thread-like extensions coming off cells allowing them to directly touch distant cells, acting as a highway for protein transport.

Cytonemes function in both short- and long-distance communication between cells. We still know little about where and how cytonemes function in the body, but mutations in cytoneme genes cause diverse developmental defects. These mutations commonly impact the development and maintenance of the spine and brain. Here, using new microscopy approaches, we are uncovering how different cells within the spinal cord use cytonemes for protein spreading, and how loss of cytonemes can negatively impact spinal cord health.

By determining where and how cytonemes regulate cell-to-cell communication in spinal cord maintenance, we can use this knowledge to potentially target cytonemes to increase cellular repair following spinal cord injury.