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Review
. 2014 May 27:4:127.
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2014.00127. eCollection 2014.

Functions and therapeutic roles of exosomes in cancer

Jacob A Tickner  1 , Aaron J Urquhart  1 , Sally-Anne Stephenson  2 , Derek J Richard  1 , Kenneth J O'Byrne  1
Affiliations
Review

Functions and therapeutic roles of exosomes in cancer

Jacob A Tickner et al. Front Oncol. .

Abstract

The role of exosomes in cancer development has become the focus of much research, due to the many emerging roles possessed by exosomes. These micro-vesicles that are ubiquitously released in to the extracellular milieu, have been found to regulate immune system function, particularly in tumorigenesis, as well as conditioning future metastatic sites for the attachment and growth of tumor tissue. Through an interaction with a range of host tissue, exosomes are able to generate a pro-tumor environment that is essential for carcinogenesis. Herein, we discuss the contents of exosomes and their contribution to tumorigenesis, as well as their role in chemotherapeutic resistance and the development of novel cancer treatments and the identification of cancer biomarkers.

Keywords: biomarker; cancer; chemotherapeutic resistance; exosome; metastatic niche.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Exosomes (red dots) have multiple roles in tumorigenesis. (A) Exosomes released from tumor cells affect the local tumor microenvironment, remodeling extracellular matrix, and promoting vasculogenesis and tumor cell proliferation. (B) Exosomes travel to distant sites to promote the generation of the pre-metastatic niche. Vascularization is augmented and endothelial and stromal cell differentiation is induced, leading to a pro-tumor environment. (C) Immune responses become deregulated in a manner that impedes tumor recognition and anti-tumor immune functions. Cytotoxic T-cells are induced to apoptose, while NK cell proliferation is impaired and T-helper cells differentiate toward a T-regulatory cell phenotype. (D) Bone-marrow-derived cells are recruited to tumor and pre-tumor tissue where they contribute to cancer development.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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