What Are Migrasomes?

Migration-dependent organelles that serve as packets of information with specific delivery addresses

Our lab discovered and named migrasomes in 2014. During cell migration, retraction fibers are pulled from the rear of migrating cells, and large vesicular structures grow on these fibers. When the cell migrates away, the retraction fibers break, leaving the vesicles behind. Since their formation depends on migration, we named these structures migrasomes. Cellular contents — including luminal vesicles, proteins, and mRNA — can be released from cells via migrasomes through a process we term migracytosis.

Our recent work reveals that migrasomes play key roles in zebrafish organogenesis. Signaling molecules are packaged into migrasomes and released at defined locations, activating surrounding cells with spatiotemporal precision. In essence, a migrasome is a packet of information with a specific delivery address — mediating a novel type of cell-cell communication critical for embryonic development, immune responses, tumor metastasis, and angiogenesis.

Migrasomes also participate in organelle quality control (mitocytosis), lateral transfer of cellular contents, and unconventional secretion — expanding the functional repertoire of these remarkable organelles.