The Dichotomy of Tumor Exosomes (TEX) in Cancer Immunity: Is It All in the ConTEXt?

ABSTRACT: Exosomes are virus-sized nanoparticles (30-130 nm) formed intracellularly as intravesicular bodies/intralumenal vesicles within maturing endosomes ("multivesicular bodies", MVBs). If MVBs fuse with the cell's plasma membrane, the interior vesicles may be released extracellularly, and are termed "exosomes". The protein cargo of exosomes consists of cytosolic, membrane, and extracellular proteins, along with membrane-derived lipids, and an extraordinary variety of nucleic acids. As such, exosomes reflect the status and identity of the parent cell, and are considered as tiny cellular surrogates. Because of this closely entwined relationship between exosome content and the source/status of the parental cell, conceivably exosomes could be used as vaccines against various pathologies, as they co

SUBMITTER: Kunigelis KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4693230 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature