Human cells transferring DNA via nanotubes

Elizabeth G. Maurais and colleagues at UT Southwestern reported in a Cell paper published online on May 19, 2026 that human cells can pass genomic DNA directly to neighboring human cells through nanotube-like connections in culture. The study said donor DNA moved from the cytoplasm of one cell into another, entered recipient nuclei and became part of the recipient genome. The transferred DNA then supported gene expression and persisted across cell divisions in the experimental system. Peter Ly, the study’s senior author, said the findings challenged the view that neighboring human cells keep completely separate genomes. ### What exactly did the researchers see moving between cells? The Cell paper said fragmented nuclear DNA that had been mislocalized to the cytoplasm transferred between adjacent human cells through contact-dependent, cytoskeleton-based nanotube structures. The authors used cultured human cell lines and described the structures as nanotube-like connections linking neighboring cells. They reported that the transferred material included genomic DNA fragments rather than only small signaling molecules or vesicles. (cell.com) A Nature News & Views article published in 2026 described the work as showing that genomic DNA in the cytoplasm can move between mammalian cells through nanotube-like structures, integrate into recipient genomes and support gene expression. That commentary placed the findings alongside earlier work on tunneling nanotubes as routes for intercellular exchange of other cargo. (cell.com) ### How did the team show the DNA was not just floating nearby? Maurais and co-authors reported that transfer was contact-dependent and occurred through direct cell-to-cell connections. PubMed’s abstract says the study found cytoplasmic DNA underwent intercellular transfer through nanotube structures connecting adjacent human cells, producing intermixing of donor DNA with the recipient genome. The paper further said the transferred DNA became genetically stable elements that could be inherited across multiple cell generations. (nature.com) A Cell commentary published in Trends in Cell Biology said the authors showed fragmented chromosomes were carried to neighboring cells via tunneling nanotubes with heritable consequences. That article said the work raised questions about genome surveillance and cancer evolution, an interpretation attributed to the commentary authors rather than the paper itself. (cell.com) ### Did the transferred DNA actually do anything inside recipient cells? The researchers reported that transferred DNA entered recipient nuclei and encoded functional genes that gave recipient cells new properties. UT Southwestern said the DNA persisted through multiple rounds of cell division, remained biologically active and conferred new traits to recipient cells. PubMed’s summary similarly says the transferred DNA molecules were functional and could provide a fitness advantage to recipient cells. (sciencedirect.com) A related commentary indexed on PubMed said the study used multiple cell lines to show that transferred DNA could be incorporated into recipient nuclei and intermingle with host chromosomes. That commentary also said genome instability promoted the phenomenon. ### Where did the donor DNA come from in these experiments? The paper said genome instability was the trigger. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) According to the abstract, nuclear DNA became mislocalized to the cytoplasm after DNA damage or cell-division errors and then transferred to nearby cells. UT Southwestern said pieces of genomic DNA escaped the nucleus and moved through nanotubes that briefly form when some cells come into contact. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Peter Ly said in the university release that the discovery was surprising and suggested neighboring cells may be able to reshape one another’s genomes directly. The Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology item described the result as a horizontal gene-transfer-like mechanism in mammalian cells, citing the Cell study. (cell.com) ### What are the limits of the finding right now? The experiments were done in vitro in cultured human cells, not in patients. None of the sources reviewed here say the study showed routine DNA exchange between healthy tissues in living people. The paper and commentaries instead frame the finding as a cell-biology mechanism observed under experimental conditions involving genome instability and adjacent cells connected by nanotube-like structures. (utsouthwestern.edu) The paper was published in Cell on July 23, 2026 after online release on May 19, 2026, according to PubMed. The next step for readers is the full article by Maurais, Mazzagatti, Lin and colleagues, with Peter Ly as senior author, and the linked commentaries discussing how often the mechanism may operate in cancer and other disease settings. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (cell.com)