Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a generic term for all the secreted vesicles, which include exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies. EVs are key partners in the intercellular communication and play an essential role in multiple physiological and pathological conditions. EVs are shuttles for cargo molecules, such as RNA (mRNA, microRNA, and other noncoding RNAs), DNA, proteins (receptors, transcription factors, enzymes, and extracellular matrix proteins), and lipids. In pathological states, including cancer, EVs might represent either useful biomarkers or can be used for therapeutic purposes. Moreover, in cancer, it was demonstrated that EVs play an essential role in drug resistance. Here, we review the role played by EVs in the most common forms of cancer, with a special focus on ovarian and breast cancers.

Breast Cancer Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Bone Metastasis Induction and Their Clinical Implications as Biomarkers

“…Several studies also confirm in vivo what was already known from in vitro observation: tumor cells release far more EVs than normal counterpart [108][109][110]. Thus, quantitative or qualitative EVs modifications could provide useful information [111].…”

miRNAs in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Skin Cancer

“…Aberrant miRNA expression was found in tumors and biological fluids. More and more data show that miRNAs could be excreted into circulation via extracellular vesicles or bound to proteins such as AGO or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (Larrea et al, 2016;Voichitoiu et al, 2019). Thus, circulating miRNAs may serve as a reflection of the underlying disease, but this approach is hampered for the moment by the complicated and lengthy PCR-based procedures used by most laboratories.…”

Extracellular Vesicles as Intercellular Communication Vehicles in Regenerative Medicine

“…Many studies have shown that EVs are produced by both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, indicating a persistent evolution of their signaling mechanism during a time, giving EVs an increasingly important role in the future [3,4]. In general, EVs from the human blood are derived from platelets, but they can also be released from leukocytes, erythrocytes, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and even cancer cells [5,6].…”

“…The content of EVs can vary to a great extent (lipids, proteins, nucleic acid species) and depends on the cell of origin [4,6].…”

“…Their main function is represented by intercellular communication [2]. EVs can influence a variety of biological processes, transferring functional molecules (mRNA, microRNAs, and proteins) between cells [6,9]. Their content is shuttled between cells, making EVs essential for a multitude of physiological, but also pathological processes (Figure 1).…”