Exosomes: Their Role in Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases

Abstract

Exosomes are lipid bilayer particles released from cells into their surrounding environment. These vesicles are mediators of near and long-distance intercellular communication and affect various aspects of cell biology. In addition to their biological function, they play an increasingly important role both in diagnosis and as therapeutic agents. In this paper, we review recent literature related to the molecular composition of exosomes, paying special attention to their role in pathogenesis, along with their application as biomarkers and as therapeutic tools. In this context, we analyze the potential use of exosomes in biomedicine, as well as the limitations that preclude their wider application.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles prevent the development of osteoarthritis via the circHIPK3/miR-124-3p/MYH9 axis

“…They are actively released by many types of cells and are widely distributed in saliva, plasma, milk, amniotic fluid, and other body fluids [ 9 , 60 ]. EVs participate in intercellular information transmission and regulate the recipient cells by binding to specific receptors on the cell surface, directly fusing with the cell membrane of target cells, or been taken up by recipient cells through endocytosis and releasing their contents to the recipient cells [ 61 – 63 ]. The functions of EVs from different cell sources are closely associated with their respective microenvironments.…”

Peripheral Blood Genetic Biomarkers for the Early Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…They can be found in most body fluids (like serum, plasma, lymph, and saliva, etc.) and have variable components such as encapsulate lipids and multiple types of proteins as well as nucleic acids including mRNA, miRNA, lncRNAs, and DNA detected inside exosomes, which can reflect the status of host cells (122). In the liver, exosomes are mainly released from three types of cells: hepatocytes, immune cells (such as Kupffer cells, natural killer cells, and lymphocytes) and nonparenchymal liver cells (such as hepatic stellate cells).…”

Small Rab GTPases in Intracellular Vesicle Trafficking: The Case of Rab3A/Raphillin-3A Complex in the Kidney

“…Rab proteins [ 9 ] are master regulators of intracellular vesicle transport between different compartments through the recruitment of effectors and specific regulators [ 2 ], being involved in either vesicle budding, mobility through interaction with the cytoskeleton or tethering to the membrane. The Rab family is composed of more than 70 GTPases, each of which is preferentially associated with one intracellular compartment in order to control the specificity and directionality of membrane trafficking pathways, mostly related to vesicular transport.…”

“…Small Rab GTPases, the largest group of small monomeric GTPases, and their Rab-interacting proteins, are involved in multiple cellular functions including the traffic of endosomal vesicles and plasma membrane combination to release cargoes to the extracellular space [ 1 , 2 ]. The role of Rab GTPases in diseases and specific syndromes has been broadly investigated [ 3 ].…”

“…Functionally, Rab GTPases coordinate membrane trafficking events on the basis of cyclic interconversion between active GTP-bound states and inactive GDP-bound states. The GTP-bound form can interact with effectors, promoting various steps and contributing to vectorial membrane traffic [ 2 ]. Each Rab protein has specific effector proteins that regulate distinct intracellular transport steps, which are the trans-Golgi network, endosomal pathway-lysosome for clearance/degradation, or fusion with the cellular membrance for vesicle release being the most studied [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”