#ExtracellularVesicles (EVs) are enclosed by a phospholipid bilayer and can be secreted by most types of cells. EVs deliver cargo from the secreting cell into the cytoplasm of recipient cells, influencing the function of the recipient cells. EVs are attracting increasing attention from a broad range of clinicians and scientists due to their ability to promote or inhibit various physiological pathways or pathological conditions. This special issue of Biomedical Journal contains articles describing the biogenesis and biodistribution of EVs and their role in the intercellular transfer of various molecules or viruses to target cells, in rejecting allogeneic transplants and maintaining immune tolerance of the allogeneic fetus, and in modulating innate and adaptive immunity. Characterization of the role of EVs in various pathological conditions and our ability to engineer modified EVs may lead to discovery of novel biomarkers and development of therapeutic strategies for treatment of disease.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small, membrane-bound particles released by cells under both normal and pathological conditions. EVs encapsulate lipids, proteins and nucleic acids such as mRNA, micro-RNA (mi-RNA) and mitochondrial DNA that mirror the physiological state of the cells that secrete them. The EVs can interact with neighboring cells in the immediate environment or travel longer distances in the body. Upon being internalized by host cells, the cargo carried by EVs can influence the function of the host cells. Three primary classes of EVs have been described, and they are categorized based on their size, content, and biogenesis: microvesicles (also called ectosomes), exosomes, and apoptotic bodies.
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