Author: Raghu Kalluri1,2,3, Valerie S LeBleu4
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Cancer Biology, Metastasis Research Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. rkalluri@mdanderson.org.
<sup>2</sup> School of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
<sup>3</sup> Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
<sup>4</sup> Department of Cancer Biology, Metastasis Research Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Conference/Journal: Science
Date published: 2020 Feb 7
Other:
Volume ID: 367 , Issue ID: 6478 , Pages: eaau6977 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1126/science.aau6977. , Word Count: 129
The study of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has the potential to identify unknown cellular and molecular mechanisms in intercellular communication and in organ homeostasis and disease. Exosomes, with an average diameter of ~100 nanometers, are a subset of EVs. The biogenesis of exosomes involves their origin in endosomes, and subsequent interactions with other intracellular vesicles and organelles generate the final content of the exosomes. Their diverse constituents include nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, amino acids, and metabolites, which can reflect their cell of origin. In various diseases, exosomes offer a window into altered cellular or tissue states, and their detection in biological fluids potentially offers a multicomponent diagnostic readout. The efficient exchange of cellular components through exosomes can inform their applied use in designing exosome-based therapeutics.
PMID: 32029601 PMCID: PMC7717626 DOI: 10.1126/science.aau6977