Mechanisms of exosome-mediated immune cell crosstalk in inflammation and disease

Abstract

Exosomes (30-150nm extracellular vesicles) are known to mediate cell-cell communication, where they have been identified as significant regulators of immune cell crosstalk. This review focuses on the convergence of several significant studies that define biological activities and mechanisms for the release of exosomes that are translationally relevant in cancer, injury, and inflammation with particular attention to specific acute and chronic diseases of peripheral organ systems and the brain. This review also highlights emerging technologies that define the complexity of exosomes present in biological fluids and consider species-specific differences in pathways of exosome biogenesis. We have limited the scope of this review to studies published within the last 5years that address specific functional aspects of immune-immune cell and immune-stromal cell crosstalk in vertebrates that have the potential to address translational questions on the role of exosomes in inflammation, tissue repair and regeneration, and in human health and disease.