Exosomes in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Renal Cell Cancer

Abstract

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most prevalent type of kidney cancer originating from renal tubular epithelial cells, with clear cell RCC comprising approximately 80% of cases. The primary treatment modalities for RCC are surgery and targeted therapy, albeit with suboptimal efficacies. Despite progress in RCC research, significant challenges persist, including advanced distant metastasis, delayed diagnosis, and drug resistance. Growing evidence suggests that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a pivotal role in multiple aspects of RCC, including tumorigenesis, metastasis, immune evasion, and drug response. These membrane-bound vesicles are released into the extracellular environment by nearly all cell types and are capable of transferring various bioactive molecules, including RNA, DNA, proteins, and lipids, aiding intercellular communication. The molecular cargo carried by EVs renders them an attractive resource for biomarker identification, while their multifarious role in the RCC offers opportunities for diagnosis and targeted interventions, including EV-based therapies. As the most versatile type of EVs, exosomes have attracted much attention as nanocarriers of biologicals, with multi-range signaling effects. Despite the growing interest in exosomes, there is currently no widely accepted consensus on their subtypes and properties. The emerging heterogeneity of exosomes presents both methodological challenges and exciting opportunities for diagnostic and clinical interventions. This article reviews the characteristics and functions of exosomes, with a particular reference to the recent advances in their application to the diagnosis and treatment of RCC.

lncRNA Biomarkers of Glioblastoma Multiforme

“…Furthermore, guide lncRNAs form complexes with regulatory or enzymatically active proteins, targeting them towards specific gene promoters or genomic loci, thus regulating downstream signalling events and gene expressions [22]. Using genome-wide RNA-Seq analyses, numerous lncR-NAs have been identified, exhibiting either upregulation or downregulation in various forms of malignancies, including renal, breast, and brain cancer [30]. Among these lncRNAs, MALAT1, RCAT1, DUXAP9, TCL6, LINC00342, AGAP2 Antisense1, DLEU2, NNT-AS1, LINC00460, and Lnc-LSG1 are, for example, specific to renal cancer, while changes in HOTAIR, ANRIL, ZFAS1, HOTAIRM1, PVT1, MALAT1, and LNP1 are associated with breast and brain cancer [31].…”

“…For instance, lncARSR, which showed high expression levels in sunitinib-resistant renal cancer cells, has been found to be essential for the resistant phenotype, through competition with endogenous RNA for miR-34 and miR-449, leading to the upregulation of AXL/c-MET and the activation of STAT3, AKT, and ERK pathways. Remarkably, lncARSR was identified as a predictive marker for poor response in patients with renal cancer, with emerging data suggesting its exosomal release from therapy-resistant cells, thereby conferring treatment resistance [30].…”

Progress in cancer neuroscience

“…The heterogeneity of exosomes poses both methodological hurdles and promising potential for diagnostics and therapeutic procedures. [120][121][122][123] Numerous studies have provided compelling evidence indicating that malignant brain cancer cells exhibit a notable increase in the release of exosomes into the extracellular environment, which can be attributed, at least in part, to metabolic reprogramming and lactate production. This phenomenon serves to promote tumor survival by facilitating autologous and heterologous interactions between the cancer cells and neighboring cells.…”

The functions of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-MALAT-1 in the pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma

“…Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a type of cancer that originates from the proximal tubule epithelial cells of the renal tubules [ 1 , 2 ]. According to data from 2018, RCC accounted for approximately 400,000 new cases and 175,000 deaths worldwide [ 3 ].…”