Exosomes: Mediators of Immune Regulation

Role of exosomes in immune regulation

Exosomes are small vesicles originating from late endosomes, 30-100 nm in diameter with typical cup-shape morphology. They are reported to bear high levels of a narrow spectrum of molecules involved in immune response and signal transduction. Apart from removing obsolete membrane proteins, some surprising biological functions of exosomes were unveiled recently and their applications in immunoth...

Exosomes: mediators of communication in eukaryotes.

In addition to the established mechanisms of intercellular signaling, a new way of communication has gained much attention in the last decade: communication mediated by exosomes. Exosomes are nanovesicles (with a diameter of 40-120 nm) secreted into the extracellular space by the multivesicular endosome after its outer membrane fuses with the plasma membrane. Once released, exosomes modulate th...

Exosomes as mediators of platinum resistance in ovarian cancer

Exosomes have been implicated in the cell-cell transfer of oncogenic proteins and genetic material. We speculated this may be one mechanism by which an intrinsically platinum-resistant population of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells imparts its influence on surrounding tumor cells. To explore this possibility we utilized a platinum-sensitive cell line, A2780 and exosomes derived from its re...

Human urinary exosomes as innate immune effectors.

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles, approximately 50 nm in diameter, derived from the endocytic pathway and released by a variety of cell types. Recent data indicate a spectrum of exosomal functions, including RNA transfer, antigen presentation, modulation of apoptosis, and shedding of obsolete protein. Exosomes derived from all nephron segments are also present in human urine, where the...

Exosomes, your body's answer to immune health.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Correspondence to: Beverlie Baquir. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Room 232, 2259 Lower Mall Research Station, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada. Email: [email protected]. Provenance: This is a Guest Editorial commissioned by...

Of Innate Immune Responses Leukotrienes: Underappreciated Mediators