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. 2021 Jun 14;12:680891. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.680891

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Copyright © 2021 Tiwari, Koganti, Russell, Sharma and Shukla

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) - a major platform for the viruses to scan the neighborhood for successful entry and spread. (A) Stress conditions (ROS, a lack of nutrients, and possibly a quick receptor turnover) together with the influx of viruses induce the Rho GTPase-mediated signaling pathways which then trigger the induction of TNTs. (B) The presence of viral receptor such as heparan sulfate (HS) provides an opportunity for the virion to dock and/or surf on TNTs. In addition, the presence of 3-O sulfated HS receptor may induce direct virus-TNT fusion or receptor mediated endocytosis to promote virus internalization.