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Review
. 2020 Dec 11;21(24):9428.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21249428.

Extracellular Vesicles in CNS Developmental Disorders

Affiliations
Review

Extracellular Vesicles in CNS Developmental Disorders

Ana Rita Gomes et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The central nervous system (CNS) is the most complex structure in the body, consisting of multiple cell types with distinct morphology and function. Development of the neuronal circuit and its function rely on a continuous crosstalk between neurons and non-neural cells. It has been widely accepted that extracellular vesicles (EVs), mainly exosomes, are effective entities responsible for intercellular CNS communication. They contain membrane and cytoplasmic proteins, lipids, non-coding RNAs, microRNAs and mRNAs. Their cargo modulates gene and protein expression in recipient cells. Several lines of evidence indicate that EVs play a role in modifying signal transduction with subsequent physiological changes in neurogenesis, gliogenesis, synaptogenesis and network circuit formation and activity, as well as synaptic pruning and myelination. Several studies demonstrate that neural and non-neural EVs play an important role in physiological and pathological neurodevelopment. The present review discusses the role of EVs in various neurodevelopmental disorders and the prospects of using EVs as disease biomarkers and therapeutics.

Keywords: CNS; astrocytes; exosomes; extracellular vesicles; glia; microvesicles; neurodevelopmental disorders; neurons.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cell–cell communication in the CNS. EVs mediate intercellular communication between neurons, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and glial cells. The EV is composed of lipids, proteins and polynucleotides. The cellular origin of EVs will define the cargo content and signaling capacity. For example, neural-derived exosomes carry synaptic cell adhesion molecules: neuronal-specific cell membrane marker L1CAM, GPI-anchored prion protein and GluR2/3. Proteins involved in vesicular trafficking, such as Rab proteins, annexins and cytoskeletal proteins, are present in EVs derived from neuronal and non-neuronal cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic illustration summarizing the main changes observed in the cargo of EVs in the neurodevelopmental disorders that are discussed in this review. Therapeutic possibilities using or targeting exosomes are also indicated.

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