Mitochondrial transfer between multiple cell types mediated by TNTs. Increasing numbers of cell types have been reported to participate in TNT-mediated cell-to-cell transfer of mitochondria. (A) Tumor cells can share mitochondria with each other via TNTs for mutual support, e.g., (Lou et al., 2012b). (B) Cancer cells can use TNTs to transfer genetically defective mitochondria to cripple tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes for immune evasion (Ikeda et al., 2025). (C) Tumor cells can also steal healthy mitochondria from T cells via TNTs to support their metabolism while also depleting the immune cells (Saha et al., 2022). (D) Malignant glioblastoma cells can hijack mitochondria from astrocytes using TNTs to enhance their tumorigenicity (Watson et al., 2023). (E) Macrophages can provide more mitochondria to cancer cells to enhance their invasiveness both in vitro and in vivo (Hanna et al., 2019). (F) Neurons can transfer mitochondria to cancer cells via TNT-like structures to support tumor cell metabolism, stemness, resistance to stressors, and metastasis (Hoover et al., 2025). (G) Microglial cells can transfer mitochondria to neuronal cells afflicted by α-synuclein as a potential rescue mechanism (Chakraborty et al., 2023). (H) More and more examples of TNT-mediated mitochondrial transfer are being reported, suggesting that this process may be common not only in disease states, but also potentially in normal tissue biology, e.g., (Kempf et al., 2024)—a possibility to be clarified in the future.