Clancy James, D'Souza-Schorey Crislyn
Cancer J. 2018 Mar/Apr;24(2):65-69. doi: 10.1097/PPO.0000000000000306.
Extracellular vesicles refer collectively to a heterogeneous group of membrane-bound vesicles released from cells and loaded with bioactive proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. The concept of extracellular vesicles has rapidly evolved from once being viewed as cellular debris to their recognition as packets of cellular information with considerable promise for clinical applications as biomarker platforms and therapeutic vehicles. These shed vesicles have emerged as critical mediators of intercellular communication in both local and distant microenvironments during normal physiological processes, as well as in orchestrating systemic pathophysiological events in disease. This mode of cellular crosstalk is particularly relevant to modulating the tumor microenvironment and orchestrating paths of least resistance during metastases. Here, we describe recent advances for the roles of extracellular vesicles in tumor progression and their potential as disease biomarkers.
细胞外囊泡是指从细胞中释放出来的一类异质性膜结合囊泡，其中装载有生物活性蛋白质、核酸和脂质。细胞外囊泡的概念已迅速演变，从曾经被视为细胞碎片，到如今被视为携带细胞信息的包裹，在作为生物标志物平台和治疗载体的临床应用方面具有巨大潜力。这些脱落的囊泡已成为正常生理过程中局部和远处微环境中细胞间通讯的关键介质，以及在疾病中协调全身病理生理事件的关键介质。这种细胞间串扰模式在调节肿瘤微环境和转移过程中协调阻力最小的路径方面尤为重要。在此，我们描述了细胞外囊泡在肿瘤进展中的作用及其作为疾病生物标志物的潜力的最新进展。
