High-throughput analysis and functional interpretation of extracellular vesicle content in hematological malignancies

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-coated particles secreted by virtually all cell types in response to different stimuli, both in physiological and pathological conditions. Their content generally reflects their biological functions and includes a variety of molecules, such as nucleic acids, proteins and cellular components. The role of EVs as signaling vehicles has been widely demonstrated. In particular, they are actively involved in the pathogenesis of several hematological malignancies (HM), mainly interacting with a number of target cells and inducing functional and epigenetic changes. In this regard, by releasing their cargo, EVs play a pivotal role in the bilateral cross-talk between tumor microenvironment and cancer cells, thus facilitating mechanisms of immune escape and supporting tumor growth and progression. Recent advances in high-throughput technologies have allowed the deep characterization and functional interpretation of EV content. In this review, the current knowledge on the high-throughput technology-based characterization of EV cargo in HM is summarized.

Keywords: Cargo; Extracellular vesicles; Hematological malignancies; High-throughput analysis; microRNAs.

Fig. 1

Bioactive miRs released by EVs. Through the secretion of EVs, tumor cells may modulate several processes in recipient cells, including cell survival and proliferation. They are also able to influence drug sensitivity thus affecting patients’ outcome and survival. miRs isolated from MM-derived EVs are highlighted in red, miRs from CLL and AML-derived EVs are in violet and green, respectively. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)