Focus on Extracellular Vesicles: New Frontiers of Cell-to-Cell Communication in Cancer

Abstract

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) have received considerable attention in recent years, both as mediators of intercellular communication pathways that lead to tumor progression, and as potential sources for discovery of novel cancer biomarkers. For many years, research on EVs has mainly investigated either the mechanism of biogenesis and cargo selection and incorporation, or the methods of EV isolation from available body fluids for biomarker discovery. Recent studies have highlighted the existence of different populations of cancer-derived EVs, with distinct molecular cargo, thus pointing to the possibility that the various EV populations might play diverse roles in cancer and that this does not happen randomly. However, data attributing cancer specific intercellular functions to given populations of EVs are still limited. A deeper functional, biochemical and molecular characterization of the various EV classes might identify more selective clinical markers, and significantly advance our knowledge of the pathogenesis and disease progression of many cancer types.

Modularized Extracellular Vesicles: The Dawn of Prospective Personalized and Precision Medicine

“…In cancer progression ( Figure 3 ), C‐EVs can create a suitable microenvironment by promoting angiogenesis, regulating immunity, and remodeling surrounding tissue, or by laying the foundation for metastasis by forming a premetastatic niche 37, 38, 39, 40. It appears that cancers co‐opt EVs, a natural nanodelivery system, to transfer damaging information by altering the composition of EVs; this ability has inspired scientists to design novel drug therapeutics through reverse engineering.…”

Stem cell-derived exosomes: a novel vector for tissue repair and diabetic therapy

“…Traditionally, this process has been attributed to the transfer of extracellular proteins and soluble factors across the intercellular space (Gerdes & Pepperkok 2013). More recently, researchers have found that exosomes and other EVs also play a significant role in this process (Ciardiello et al 2016). Exosomes act as shuttles: ferrying proteins, lipids and nucleic acids between cells.…”

“…Intercellular transfer of exosomal cargo has been implicated in immunomodulation, initiation of cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, regulation of apoptosis, platelet activation and other phenotypic alterations in targeted cells (Rak 2010, Sheng et al 2011, Corrado et al 2013, Tomasoni et al 2013, Rahman et al 2014, Shabbir et al 2015. Such alterations have been associated with both healthy and pathogenic cellular behaviors (BenitoMartin et al 2015, Ciardiello et al 2016.…”

Role of noncoding RNA in vascular remodelling

“…Cell-to-cell communications can be mediated by extracellular vesicles, exosomes, apoptotic bodies, microparticles, and tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs) [83,84].…”