Research Progress and Direction of Novel Organelle—Migrasomes

Abstract

Migrasomes are organelles that are similar in structure to pomegranates, up to 3 μm in diameter, and contain small vesicles with a diameter of 50–100 nm. These membranous organelles grow at the intersections or tips of retracting fibers at the back of migrating cells. The process by which cells release migrasomes and their contents outside the cell is called migracytosis. The signal molecules are packaged in the migrasomes and released to the designated location by migrasomes to activate the surrounding cells. Finally, the migrasomes complete the entire process of information transmission. In this sense, migrasomes integrate time, space, and specific chemical information, which are essential for regulating physiological processes such as embryonic development and tumor invasion and migration. In this review, the current research progress of migrasomes, including the discovery of migrasomes and migracytosis, the structure of migrasomes, and the distribution and functions of migrasomes is discussed. The migratory marker protein TSPAN4 is highly expressed in various cancers and is associated with cancer invasion and migration. Therefore, there is still much research space for the pathogenesis of migratory bodies and cancer. This review also makes bold predictions and prospects for the research directions of the combination of migrasomes and clinical applications.

Biophysical aspects of migrasome organelle formation and their diverse cellular functions

“…[6] It was further demonstrated that migrasomes spatially coordinate organ morphogenesis and promote embryonic angiogenesis in vivo, [7,8] indicating that they are distinguished from the known extracellular vesicles and their functions go beyond those of ordinary signaling vesicles like exosomes. [9][10][11] In fact, migrasomes are revealed to be imperative cell organelles that become extracellular vesicles once they detach from the retraction fibers. Migrasomes were shown to be involved in a wide range of cellular pathologies and were described as promising therapeutic agents.…”