Role of exosomes and exosomal microRNAs in cancer

Abstract

A growing body of evidence indicates that exosomes play a critical role in the cell–cell communication process. Exosomes are biological nanoparticles with an average diameter of 30–100 nm in size and are produced by almost all cell types in the human body; however, cancer cells contain higher concentrations of exosomes than healthy cells. They are released into all body fluids and contain double-stranded DNA (originated from nucleus and mitochondria), a variety of RNA species, and specific protein biomarkers that can be utilized as cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets, and lipids. Therefore, the specific exosomes secreted by tumor cells could be used to predict the existence of the presence of a tumor in cancer patients. This review summarizes the role of exosomes in cancer development and their potential utility in the clinic.

Keywords

• biomarkers
• body fluids
• cancer
• exosomes
• extracellular vesicles
• miRNA