ABSTRACT
Cells can communicate with neighboring and more distant cells by secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are lipid bilayer membrane-bound structures that can be packaged with proteins, nucleic acids and lipids that mediate cell–cell signaling. EVs are increasingly recognized to play numerous important roles in both normal physiological processes and pathological conditions. Steady progress in the field has uncovered a great diversity and heterogeneity of distinct vesicle types that appear to be secreted from most, if not all, cell types. Recently, it has become apparent that cells also release non-vesicular extracellular nanoparticles (NVEPs), including the newly discovered exomeres and supermeres. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we provide an overview of the diversity of EVs and nanoparticles that are released from cells into the extracellular space, highlighting recent advances in the field.
Footnotes
Funding
Our work in this area is supported in part by the National Cancer Institute grants U2CCA233291, R35CA197570, P50CA236733 and P01CA229123, and by the Nicholas Tierney GI Cancer Memorial Fund. Deposited in PMC for release after 12 months.
High-resolution poster and poster panels
A high-resolution version of the poster and individual poster panels are available for downloading at https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article-lookup/doi/10.1242/jcs.260201#supplementary-data.
