Extracellular Vesicle in Cancer Biology

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Tumor Microenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 9672

Special Issue Editors

1. The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
2. Division of Surgical On-cology, Department of Surgery, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, 410W 10th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Interests: extracellular vesicles; exosomes; microenvironment; adipose microenvironment; sarcoma; liposarcoma; lncRNAs; miRNAs
Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University, 460 W 12th Ave, Columbus, 43210 OH, USA
Interests: extracellular vesicles; tumor microenvironment; microRNAs; cancer genetics; cancer-associated cachexia

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) consist of a very heterogeneous group of small, membrane-derived particles whose size ranges from 50–150 nm in diameter (so-called exosomes) up to 1 mm (microvesicles, MVs). EVs can be isolated from different body fluids such as serum and plasma, saliva, urine, breast milk and cerebrospinal fluid. For this reason, the EV cargo, consisting of DNA, RNA (including non-coding RNA), lipids and proteins, can be considered potential liquid biopsy biomarkers in many diseases, particularly for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and to define metastatic status and recurrences.

Moreover, the biologically active molecules present in the EVs can be transferred from a “donor cell” (secreting EVs) to a “recipient cell” where the EV cargo can modulate gene expression, hence regulating their physiological status. EVs can also regulate several oncogenic processes, including tumor initiation, progression and metastasis, inducing, for example, angiogenesis, recruitment of cancer-associated fibroblasts, and extracellular matrix remodeling. All these features make EVs very important cell-to-cell mediators.

This Special Issue of Cancers will present and discuss original articles and review manuscripts aimed at investigating EV cargo identification and accurate functional characterization; the role of EVs and their cargos as mediators of cell communication at the microenvironment level; mechanisms of cargo recruitment, sorting and transfer to recipient cells; EV structural analyses; and the role of EV cargo as potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis.

Dr. Lucia Casadei
Dr. Federica Calore
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • extracellular vesicles
  • exosomes
  • microvesicles
  • microenvironment
  • cell-to-cell communication
  • DNA
  • RNA
  • microRNAs
  • cancer
  • lncRNAs
  • recipient cell
  • cargos
  • biomarkers
  • liquid biopsy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3541 KiB  
Article
Exosomes from EGFR-Mutated Adenocarcinoma Induce a Hybrid EMT and MMP9-Dependant Tumor Invasion
by Amina Jouida, Marissa O’Callaghan, Cormac Mc Carthy, Aurelie Fabre, Parthiban Nadarajan and Michael P. Keane
Cancers 2022, 14(15), 3776; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers14153776 - 03 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2355
Abstract
Exosomes, a class of extra cellular nano-sized vesicles (EVs), and their contents have gained attention as potential sources of information on tumor detection and regulatory drivers of tumor progression and metastasis. The effect of exosomes isolated from patients with an Epidermal Growth Factor [...] Read more.
Exosomes, a class of extra cellular nano-sized vesicles (EVs), and their contents have gained attention as potential sources of information on tumor detection and regulatory drivers of tumor progression and metastasis. The effect of exosomes isolated from patients with an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)-mutated adenocarcinoma on the promotion of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion were examined. Exosomes derived from serum of patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) mediate the activation of the Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and induce an invasion through the up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in A549 cells. We observed a significant increase in the expression of vimentin, a mesenchymal marker, while retaining the epithelial characteristics, as evidenced by the unaltered levels of E-cadherin and Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EPCAM). We also observed an increase of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NFR2) and P-cadherin expression, markers of hybrid EMT. Exosomes derived from EGFR-mutated adenocarcinoma serum could be a potential mediator of hybrid EMT and tumor invasion. Understanding how cancerous cells communicate and interact with their environment via exosomes will improve our understanding of lung cancer progression and metastasis formation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extracellular Vesicle in Cancer Biology)
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Review

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18 pages, 1667 KiB  
Review
Non-Coding RNAs Derived from Extracellular Vesicles Promote Pre-Metastatic Niche Formation and Tumor Distant Metastasis
by Jin Cheng, Kun Zhang, Chunhui Qu, Jinwu Peng and Lifang Yang
Cancers 2023, 15(7), 2158; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15072158 - 05 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1772
Abstract
Metastasis is a critical stage of tumor progression, a crucial challenge of clinical therapy, and a major cause of tumor patient death. Numerous studies have confirmed that distant tumor metastasis is dependent on the formation of pre-metastatic niche (PMN). Recent studies have shown [...] Read more.
Metastasis is a critical stage of tumor progression, a crucial challenge of clinical therapy, and a major cause of tumor patient death. Numerous studies have confirmed that distant tumor metastasis is dependent on the formation of pre-metastatic niche (PMN). Recent studies have shown that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play an important role in PMN formation. The non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) derived from EVs mediate PMN formation and tumor-distant metastasis by promoting an inflammatory environment, inhibiting anti-tumor immune response, inducing angiogenesis and permeability, and by microenvironmental reprogramming. Given the stability and high abundance of ncRNAs carried by EVs in body fluids, they have great potential for application in tumor diagnosis as well as targeted interventions. This review focuses on the mechanism of ncRNAs derived from EVs promoting tumor PMN formation and distant metastasis to provide a theoretical reference for strategies to control tumor metastasis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extracellular Vesicle in Cancer Biology)
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26 pages, 1450 KiB  
Review
Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer Immunoediting and Their Potential as Oncoimmunotherapeutics
by Meysam Najaflou, Mehdi Shahgolzari, Ahmad Yari Khosroushahi and Steven Fiering
Cancers 2023, 15(1), 82; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15010082 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2398
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) within and around a tumor is a complex interacting mixture of tumor cells with various stromal cells, including endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells. In the early steps of tumor formation, the local microenvironment tends to oppose carcinogenesis, while [...] Read more.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) within and around a tumor is a complex interacting mixture of tumor cells with various stromal cells, including endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells. In the early steps of tumor formation, the local microenvironment tends to oppose carcinogenesis, while with cancer progression, the microenvironment skews into a protumoral TME and the tumor influences stromal cells to provide tumor-supporting functions. The creation and development of cancer are dependent on escape from immune recognition predominantly by influencing stromal cells, particularly immune cells, to suppress antitumor immunity. This overall process is generally called immunoediting and has been categorized into three phases; elimination, equilibrium, and escape. Interaction of tumor cells with stromal cells in the TME is mediated generally by cell-to-cell contact, cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular vesicles (EVs). The least well studied are EVs (especially exosomes), which are nanoparticle-sized bilayer membrane vesicles released by many cell types that participate in cell/cell communication. EVs carry various proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and small molecules that influence cells that ingest the EVs. Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (TEVs) play a significant role in every stage of immunoediting, and their cargoes change from immune-activating in the early stages of immunoediting into immunosuppressing in the escape phase. In addition, their cargos change with different treatments or stress conditions and can be influenced to be more immune stimulatory against cancer. This review focuses on the emerging understanding of how TEVs affect the differentiation and effector functions of stromal cells and their role in immunoediting, from the early stages of immunoediting to immune escape. Consideration of how TEVs can be therapeutically utilized includes different treatments that can modify TEV to support cancer immunotherapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extracellular Vesicle in Cancer Biology)
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16 pages, 2066 KiB  
Review
Effects of Exosomal Viral Components on the Tumor Microenvironment
by Jing Li, Yan Zhang and Bing Luo
Cancers 2022, 14(14), 3552; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers14143552 - 21 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2470
Abstract
Exosomes are extracellular membrane vesicles with a diameter of 30–100 nm, produced by different eukaryotic cells that contain multitudinous lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins. They transfer membrane components and nucleic acids between cells, thereby performing an information exchange between cells. Many studies have [...] Read more.
Exosomes are extracellular membrane vesicles with a diameter of 30–100 nm, produced by different eukaryotic cells that contain multitudinous lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins. They transfer membrane components and nucleic acids between cells, thereby performing an information exchange between cells. Many studies have shown that a variety of tumor-associated viruses can exert their biological functions through exosomes. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is very important in the occurrence, development, and chemoresistance of tumors. It is composed of tumor cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, immune cells, stromal cells, and acellular components, such as exosomes and cytokines. This review focuses on the effects of virus-related components secreted by tumor cells over the TME in several virus-associated cancers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extracellular Vesicle in Cancer Biology)
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