Biological properties of extracellular vesicles and their physiological functions

Abstract

In the past decade, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been recognized as potent vehicles of intercellular communication, both in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. This is due to their capacity to transfer proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, thereby influencing various physiological and pathological functions of both recipient and parent cells. While intensive investigation has targeted the role of EVs in different pathological processes, for example, in cancer and autoimmune diseases, the EV‐mediated maintenance of homeostasis and the regulation of physiological functions have remained less explored. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the physiological roles of EVs, which has been written by crowd‐sourcing, drawing on the unique EV expertise of academia‐based scientists, clinicians and industry based in 27 European countries, the United States and Australia. This review is intended to be of relevance to both researchers already working on EV biology and to newcomers who will encounter this universal cell biological system. Therefore, here we address the molecular contents and functions of EVs in various tissues and body fluids from cell systems to organs. We also review the physiological mechanisms of EVs in bacteria, lower eukaryotes and plants to highlight the functional uniformity of this emerging communication system.

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Affiliated Institutions

• University of Gothenburg SE
• University of Southern Denmark DK
• Trinity College Dublin IE
• University of Ljubljana SI
• Universitat de València ES
• Paracelsus Medical University AT
• Istituto Euro Mediterraneo di Scienza e Tecnologia IT
• Salzburger Landeskliniken AT
• National Institute of Chemistry SI
• Bilkent University TR
• Universidad Autónoma de Madrid ES
• University of Palermo IT
• Ikerbasque ES
• Barcelona Institute for Global Health ES
• University of Duisburg-Essen DE
• Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol ES
• Utrecht University NL
• University of Colorado Denver US
• Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre LV
• University of Freiburg DE
• University of Helsinki FI
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute US
• Semmelweis University HU
• Universitat de Barcelona ES
• Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa ES
• FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts CH
• Hospital Universitario de La Princesa ES
• Odense University Hospital DK
• Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research ES
• i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto PT
• Middle East Technical University TR
• Aarhus University Hospital DK
• Finnish Red Cross FI
• Ghent University Hospital BE
• Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol ES
• Universidade do Porto PT
• Oslo University Hospital
• Statens Serum Institut DK
• Focus (Germany) DE
• CIC bioGUNE ES
• Hospital Universitario Santa Cristina ES
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ES
• Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats ES
• Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas ES
• Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz DE
• University of Belgrade RS
• EN-FIST Centre of Excellence (Slovenia) SI
• ORT Braude College IL
• Hungarian Academy of Sciences HU
• University of Szeged HU
• HUN-REN Szegedi Biológiai Kutatóközpont HU

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