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Review
. 2021 Dec;14(12):101231.
doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101231. Epub 2021 Oct 1.

Extracellular vesicle-orchestrated crosstalk between cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumors

Chuanshi He  1 , Linlin Wang  1 , Ling Li  1 , Guiquan Zhu  2
Affiliations
Review

Extracellular vesicle-orchestrated crosstalk between cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumors

Chuanshi He et al. Transl Oncol. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Communication networks in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play a crucial role in tumor progression. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are among the most abundant stromal cells in the TME. Bidirectional signal transduction between cancer cells and CAFs within the TME is important for cancer development and treatment responsiveness. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying proteins, miRNAs, and other biomolecules are secreted into the extracellular matrix (ECM), which has been demonstrated to be an important communication medium between tumors and CAFs. Tumors regulate the activation of CAFs by secreting EVs. Conversely, CAFs can also affect tumor proliferation, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance through EVs. Here, we will classify EV cargoes and discuss the role of EV-mediated interactions between CAFs and tumors, reviewing current knowledge in combination with our confirmed results.

Keywords: Cancer-associated fibroblasts; Extracellular vesicle; Signal transduction; Tumor microenvironment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
EV-mediated communication between CAFs and tumors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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