The biology, function, and applications of exosomes in cancer

Abstract

Exosomes are cell-derived nanovesicles with diameters from 30 to 150 nm, released upon fusion of multivesicular bodies with the cell surface. They can transport nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids for intercellular communication and activate signaling pathways in target cells. In cancers, exosomes may participate in growth and metastasis of tumors by regulating the immune response, blocking the epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and promoting angiogenesis. They are also involved in the development of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Exosomes in liquid biopsies can be used as non-invasive biomarkers for early detection and diagnosis of cancers. Because of their amphipathic structure, exosomes are natural drug delivery vehicles for cancer therapy.

Validating Cell Surface Proteases as Drug Targets for Cancer Therapy: What Do We Know, and Where Do We Go?

“…Moreover, a growing number of studies have revealed the presence of ectoproteases in EVs derived from TME. EVs are small cell-derived membrane vesicles, produced either through the endosomal pathway, giving rise to exosomes, or after budding of plasma membrane, resulting in microvesicles [243][244][245][246]. EVs obtained from the serum of cancer patients holds promise as diagnostic and prognostic parameters [229,247,248].…”

“…EVs influence tumour growth, metastasis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and drug resistance [229,[247][248][249]. Exosomes transfer various molecules from tumour cells to immune cells and neovascular cells, contributing to the escape from immune surveillance and increased angiogenesis, respectively [231,245,246]. DPP4, APN, ADAM17, and MMP2/9 were recently described in EVs derived from solid and haematological tumours [242,[250][251][252][253][254][255][256][257].…”

“…As a whole, these observations strongly suggest the importance of ectoproteases in the behaviour of CSCs and EVs. An aera in development concerns the therapeutic targeting of CSCs [230][231][232] and EVs [245,247,248]. Thus, ectoproteases originating from CSCs and EVs represent good target candidates, as their inhibition may open a window in designing new, effective strategies to eliminate CSCs and EVs derived from TME.…”

Clinical Application Perspectives of Lung Cancers 3D Tumor Microenvironment Models for In Vitro Cultures

“…Exosomes excluded from MSC are involved in second tumor niche formation and the development of chemoresistance. Exosomes include a shortened cancer repertoire with crucial for disease progression molecules, e.g., proteins and non-coding regulatory RNAs fraction [59]. MSCs, circulating tumor cells, and exosome might be one of the aims for targeted therapy in metastatic lung cancer [60].…”

New Insights Into the Regulatory Roles of Extracellular Vesicles in Tumor Angiogenesis and Their Clinical Implications

“…Extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as microvesicles and exosomes, are nanosized vesicles with lipid membranes that are secreted by most cells. EVs contain many bioactive molecules, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and proteins, and these EV cargoes regulate intercellular communication ( Mathieu et al, 2019 ; Liu et al, 2021 ). Donor cell-derived EVs are taken up by recipient cells, and the encapsulated bioactive components are thus delivered to recipient cells, enabling their regulation of recipient cell biological behaviors.…”