Extracellular Vesicles in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma: Characterization and Diagnostic Potential

Editorial: Special Issue on "The Role of Exosomes in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy"

As a result of extensive research in recent years, small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), also known as exosomes, are now considered major contributors to intercellular communication in health and disease [...].

The Role of Extracellular Vesicles in the Pathogenesis of Hematological Malignancies: Interaction with Tumor Microenvironment; a Potential Biomarker and Targeted Therapy

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in the development and progression of hematological malignancies. In recent years, studies have focused on understanding how tumor cells communicate within the TME. In addition to several factors, such as growth factors, cytokines, extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules, etc., a growing body of evidence has indicated that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a crucial role in the communication of tumor cells within the TME, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies. The present review focuses on how EVs derived from tumor cells interact with the cells in the TME, such as immune cells, stromal cells, endothelial cells, and ECM components, and vice versa, in the context of various hematological malignancies. EVs recovered from the body fluids of cancer patients often carry the bioactive molecules of the originating cells and hence can be considered new predictive biomarkers for specific types of cancer, thereby also acting as potential therapeutic targets. Here, we discuss how EVs influence hematological tumor progression via tumor-host crosstalk and their use as biomarkers for hematological malignancies, thereby benefiting the development of potential therapeutic targets.

Proteomic Research of Extracellular Vesicles in Clinical Biofluid

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), the lipid bilayer membranous structures of particles, are produced and released from almost all cells, including eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The versatility of EVs has been investigated in various pathologies, including development, coagulation, inflammation, immune response modulation, and cell-cell communication. Proteomics technologies have revolutionized EV studies by enabling high-throughput analysis of their biomolecules to deliver comprehensive identification and quantification with rich structural information (PTMs, proteoforms). Extensive research has highlighted variations in EV cargo depending on vesicle size, origin, disease, and other features. This fact has sparked activities to use EVs for diagnosis and treatment to ultimately achieve clinical translation with recent endeavors summarized and critically reviewed in this publication. Notably, successful application and translation require a constant improvement of methods for sample preparation and analysis and their standardization, both of which are areas of active research. This review summarizes the characteristics, isolation, and identification approaches for EVs and the recent advances in EVs for clinical biofluid analysis to gain novel knowledge by employing proteomics. In addition, the current and predicted future challenges and technical barriers are also reviewed and discussed.