Exosomal Components and Modulators in Colorectal Cancer: Novel Diagnosis and Prognosis Biomarkers

Abstract

The relatively high incidence and mortality rates for colorectal carcinoma (CRC) make it a formidable malignant tumor. Comprehensive strategies have been applied to predict patient survival and diagnosis. Various clinical regimens have also been developed to improve the therapeutic outcome. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are recently proposed cellular structures that can be produced by natural or artificial methods and have been extensively studied. In addition to their innate functions, EVs can be manipulated to be drug carriers and exert many biological functions. The composition of EVs, their intravesicular components, and the surrounding tumor microenvironment are closely related to the development of colorectal cancer. Determining the expression profiles of exocytosis samples and using them as indicators for selecting effective combination therapy is an indispensable direction for EV study and should be regarded as a novel prediction platform in addition to cancer stage, prognosis, and other clinical assessments. In this review, we summarize the function, regulation, and application of EVs in the colon cancer research field. We provide an update on and discuss potential values for clinical applications of EVs. Moreover, we illustrate the specific markers, mediators, and genetic alterations of EVs in colorectal carcinogenesis. Furthermore, we outline the vital markers present in the EVs and discuss their plausible uses in colon cancer patient therapy in combination with the currently used clinical strategies. The development and application of these EVs will significantly improve the accuracy of diagnosis, lead to more precise prognoses, and may lead to the improved treatment of colorectal cancer.

Roles of Exosome Genomic DNA in Colorectal Cancer

“…CRC exosomes have the ability to transport their contents to recipient cells in the tumor microenvironment, thereby playing an important role in cell-to-cell communication. It plays a vital role in tumor immunity, tumor survival, tumor chemotherapy resistance, and metastasis ( Xiao et al, 2020 ; Liu et al, 2021 ; Chang et al, 2021 ). In CRC exosomes, there are a variety of active substances.…”

Immunotherapy for Colorectal Cancer: Mechanisms and Predictive Biomarkers

“…Exosomes are a membrane-bound type of extracellular vesicle, which can carry cargo such as mRNA, microRNA (miRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), protein, DNA fragments, or debris [ 206 ] and deliver this cargo to other cells, mediating various downstream signaling pathways. Extracellular vesicles contribute to tumorigenesis in many ways [ 206 ] such as by increasing the migration of fibroblasts in the TME [ 207 ].…”

“…Exosomes are a membrane-bound type of extracellular vesicle, which can carry cargo such as mRNA, microRNA (miRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), protein, DNA fragments, or debris [ 206 ] and deliver this cargo to other cells, mediating various downstream signaling pathways. Extracellular vesicles contribute to tumorigenesis in many ways [ 206 ] such as by increasing the migration of fibroblasts in the TME [ 207 ]. Exosomes containing biomarkers such as PD-1 or PD-L1 predict better response to IT in melanoma and NSCLC, whereas exosomes containing hsa-miR-320b/c/d or hsa-miR-125b-5 predict worse response to IT in NSCLC.…”

Advances in the analysis of single extracellular vesicles: A critical review

“…Because EVs have numerous roles in the initiation and spread of cancer, it is unsurprising that EVs represent a rich set of potential cancer biomarkers, including proteins and nucleic acids. Recent reviews on EVs as cancer biomarkers have compiled extensive lists of biomarker molecules that are reported to have been found in EVs [ 28 - 31 ]. Table S1 in the Electronic Supplementary Material ( ESI ) combines the markers reported by Abhange et al and Zhou et al [ 28 , 29 ] and lists the cancer type associated with the marker and how the marker can be used (e.g., diagnosis, prognosis, etc.).…”