Abstract
Humans circulate quadrillions of exosomes at all times. Exosomes are a class of extracellular vesicles released by all cells, with a size range of 40-150 nm and a lipid bilayer membrane. Exosomes contain DNA, RNA, and proteins. Exosomes likely remove excess and/or unnecessary constituents from the cells, functioning like garbage bags, although their precise physiological role remains unknown. Additionally, exosomes may mediate specific cell-to-cell communication and activate signaling pathways in cells they fuse or interact with. Exosomes are detected in the tumor microenvironment, and emerging evidence suggests that they play a role in facilitating tumorigenesis by regulating angiogenesis, immunity, and metastasis. Circulating exosomes can be used as liquid biopsies and noninvasive biomarkers for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer patients.
Keywords
MicrovesiclesCarcinogenesisCell biologyBiologyAngiogenesisTumor microenvironmentMetastasisExosomeCancer cellCancer researchCancerImmune systemImmunologymicroRNABiochemistryGenetics
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Organizing Polarized Delivery of Exosomes at Synapses
Abstract Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that transport different molecules between cells. They are formed and stored inside multivesicular bodies ( MVB ) until they are rel...
Two Distinct Populations of Exosomes Are Released from LIM1863 Colon Carcinoma Cell-derived Organoids
Exosomes are naturally occurring biological nanomembranous vesicles (̃40 to 100 nm) of endocytic origin that are released from diverse cell types into the extracellular space. T...
Shedding light on the cell biology of extracellular vesicles
Extracellular vesicles are a heterogeneous group of cell-derived membranous structures comprising exosomes and microvesicles, which originate from the endosomal system or which ...
Minimal experimental requirements for definition of extracellular vesicles and their functions: a position statement from the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles
Secreted membrane‐enclosed vesicles, collectively called extracellular vesicles (EVs), which include exosomes, ectosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, apoptotic bodies and oth...
The biology <b>,</b> function <b>,</b> and biomedical applications of exosomes
Clinical uses of cellular communication Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicle that contain constituents (protein, DNA, and RNA) of the cells that secrete them. They are t...
Publication Info
- Year
- 2016
- Type
- review
- Volume
- 126
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1208-1215
- Citations
- 1833
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
1833
OpenAlex
Cite This
Raghu Kalluri
(2016).
The biology and function of exosomes in cancer.
Journal of Clinical Investigation
, 126
(4)
, 1208-1215.
https://doi.org/10.1172/jci81135
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1172/jci81135