G-baToN: a versatile cell-cell interaction reporter system

Cell-cell interactions influence all aspects of development, homeostasis, and disease. Here, we describe GFP-based Touching Nexus (G-baToN) which relies upon fluorescent protein transfer driven by nanobody-mediated recognition to enable sensitive and specific labeling of cells after cell-cell interactions. A suite of orthogonal baToN tools enables reciprocal cell-cell labeling, interaction-dependent cargo transfer, and the identification of higher order cell-cell interactions across a wide range of cell types.