Fig. 3

Mechanisms of mitochondrial transfer. Mitochondrial transfer can be grouped into three categories: (1) Transient cellular connections through which mitochondria can be transferred across different cells; (2) Expelled mitochondria from extracellular vesicles for delivery into recipient cells; (3) The direct release of mitochondria into the extracellular environment, where they are subsequently absorbed by recipient cells. Mitochondrial transfer occurs through transient cellular connections, such as TNTs, mediated by the Cx43, GAP43 and Miro1 shuttle vesicles, which are vesicular bodies that are released as extracellular vesicles in a Rab7-GDP-dependent manner for capture by recipient cells. The mitochondria captured by the recipient cell are degraded via the lysosome