[HTML][HTML] Role of exosomes/microvesicles in the nervous system and use in emerging therapies

CP Lai, XO Breakefield - Frontiers in physiology, 2012 - frontiersin.org
CP Lai, XO Breakefield
Frontiers in physiology, 2012frontiersin.org
Extracellular membrane vesicles (EMVs) are nanometer sized vesicles, including exosomes
and microvesicles capable of transferring DNAs, mRNAs, microRNAs, non-coding RNAs,
proteins, and lipids among cells without direct cell-to-cell contact, thereby representing a
novel form of intercellular communication. Many cells in the nervous system have been
shown to release EMVs, implicating their active roles in development, function, and
pathologies of this system. While substantial progress has been made in understanding the …
Extracellular membrane vesicles (EMVs) are nanometer sized vesicles, including exosomes and microvesicles capable of transferring DNAs, mRNAs, microRNAs, non-coding RNAs, proteins, and lipids among cells without direct cell-to-cell contact, thereby representing a novel form of intercellular communication. Many cells in the nervous system have been shown to release EMVs, implicating their active roles in development, function, and pathologies of this system. While substantial progress has been made in understanding the biogenesis, biophysical properties, and involvement of EMVs in diseases, relatively less information is known about their biological function in the normal nervous system. In addition, since EMVs are endogenous vehicles with low immunogenicity, they have also been actively investigated for the delivery of therapeutic genes/molecules in treatment of cancer and neurological diseases. The present review summarizes current knowledge about EMV functions in the nervous system under both physiological and pathological conditions, as well as emerging EMV-based therapies that could be applied to the nervous system in the foreseeable future.
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