Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj. 2021 Apr;1865(4):129752. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129752. Epub 2020 Sep 28.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have drawn the attention of both biological researchers and clinical physicians due to their function in mediating cell-to-cell communication and relevance as potential diagnostic markers. Since their discovery, the small size and heterogeneity of EVs has posed a hindrance to their characterization as well as to the definition of their biological significance.
Recent technological advances have considerably expanded the tools available for EV studies. In particular, the combination of novel microscope setups with high resolution imaging and the flexibility in EV labelling allows for the precise detection and characterization of the molecular composition of single EVs. Here we will review the microscopy techniques that have been applied to unravel the mechanism of EV-mediated intercellular communication and to study their molecular composition.
Microscopy technologies have largely contributed to our understanding of molecular processes, including EV biology. As we discuss in this review, careful experimental planning is necessary to identify the most appropriate technique to use to answer a specific question.
The considerations regarding microscopy and experimental planning that are discussed here are applicable to the characterization of other small structures, including synthetic nanovectors and viruses.
细胞外囊泡 (EVs) 因其在介导细胞间通讯中的作用以及作为潜在诊断标志物的相关性，引起了生物研究人员和临床医生的关注。自发现以来，EVs 的体积小、异质性强，这给它们的特性描述以及生物意义的定义带来了障碍。
最近的技术进步极大地扩展了 EV 研究可用的工具。特别是，新型显微镜设置与高分辨率成像的结合，以及 EV 标记的灵活性，允许对单个 EV 的分子组成进行精确检测和表征。在这里，我们将回顾已应用于揭示 EV 介导的细胞间通讯机制并研究其分子组成的显微镜技术。
显微镜技术在很大程度上促进了我们对分子过程的理解，包括 EV 生物学。正如我们在这篇综述中讨论的，需要仔细的实验规划来确定最合适的技术来回答特定的问题。
这里讨论的关于显微镜和实验规划的考虑因素也适用于其他小结构的表征，包括合成纳米载体和病毒。
