Exosomes serve as tumour markers for personalized diagnostics owing to their important role in cancer metastasis

Abstract

Exosomes, membrane vesicles of 40–100 nm in diameter, are derived from endosomes in various cells. The bioactive molecules specifically packed into exosomes can be horizontally transferred into recipient cells changing their biological properties, by which tumour cells continuously modify their surrounding microenvironment and distant target cells favouring cancer metastasis. It has been suspected for a long time that exosomes participate in the whole process of tumour metastasis. Although there is much unknown and many controversies in the role of cancer exosome, the major contribution of tumour-associated exosomes to different steps of cancer metastasis are demonstrated in this review. Mainly because these exosomes are easily accessible and capable of representing their parental cells, exosomes draw much attention as a promising biomarker for tumour screening, diagnosis and prognosis. Currently, researchers have found numerous biomarkers in exosomes with great potential to be utilized in personalized medicine. In this article, we summarize the roles of biomarkers, which are validated by clinical samples. Even though many conundrums remain, such as exosome extraction, large multicentre validation of biomarkers and data interpretation, exosomes are certain to be used in clinical practice in the near future as the field rapidly expands.

Differential Protein Expression Marks the Transition From Infection With Opisthorchis viverrini to Cholangiocarcinoma

“…As discrete packages of protein and RNA emanating directly from tumor cells, exosomes have a number of advantages when considered as biomarkers: exosomes protect their protein cargo from proteolytic digest; they can be purified from plasma or sera, reducing the dynamic range of this matrix; and previous studies have demonstrated that the number of exosomes in circulation increases in cancer patients (52). Accordingly, exosomes purified from blood and urine are now being assessed as markers for a wide range of malignancies, including prostate (53), lung (54), breast (55), and ovarian cancers (56), among others (33). The work performed in this study now enables a targeted examination of potential protein markers of CCA in exosomes not only from blood but other matrices such as urine and saliva.…”

“…Accordingly, great interest has been shown in exploiting circulating exosomes as biomarkers of disease or as a mechanism for reducing the dynamic range of the circulating proteome (33). In order to identify potential circulating markers of CCA, we characterized the proteome of exosomes secreted by the KKU055 human CCA cancer cell line and compared them to CCA-associated proteins identified in the hamster experiments.…”

Disruption of Circulating Extracellular Vesicles as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy against Cancer Metastasis

“…15 Exosomes are a subset of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are lipid bilayer vesicles secreted from cells. 16 Exosomes have a diameter of 30-200 nm, and they transfer miRNA, mRNA, DNA, and proteins to other cells, thereby mediating intercellular communications.…”

Exosome-derived microRNAs contribute to prostate cancer chemoresistance

“…Exosomes can be taken up by other cells, it is possible that these membrane vesicles could serve as a novel way of intercellular communication and signaling (5). Over the past few years, researchers have revealed that exosomes crosstalk and/or influence major signal pathways in tumor progression, such as hypoxia-driven epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis and metastasis involving many cell types within the tumor microenvironment (6)(7)(8).…”