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Review
. 2017 Jul 11;199(15):e00012-17.
doi: 10.1128/JB.00012-17. Print 2017 Aug 1.

Spheres of Hope, Packets of Doom: the Good and Bad of Outer Membrane Vesicles in Interspecies and Ecological Dynamics

Jonathan B Lynch  1 , Rosanna A Alegado  2
Affiliations
Review

Spheres of Hope, Packets of Doom: the Good and Bad of Outer Membrane Vesicles in Interspecies and Ecological Dynamics

Jonathan B Lynch et al. J Bacteriol. .

Abstract

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are proteoliposome nanoparticles ubiquitously produced by Gram-negative bacteria. Typically bearing a composition similar to those of the outer membrane and periplasm of the cells from which they are derived, OMVs package an array of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Once considered inconsequential by-products of bacterial growth, OMVs have since been demonstrated to mediate cellular stress relief, promote horizontal gene transfer and antimicrobial activity, and elicit metazoan inflammation. Recently, OMVs have gained appreciation as critical moderators of interorganismal dynamics. In this review, we focus on recent progress toward understanding the functions of OMVs with regard to symbiosis and ecological contexts, and we propose potential avenues for future OMV studies.

Keywords: host-microbe interactions; outer membrane vesicles.

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