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Flow Virometry to Analyze Antigenic Spectra of Virions and Extracellular Vesicles
06:28

Flow Virometry to Analyze Antigenic Spectra of Virions and Extracellular Vesicles

Published on: January 25, 2017

Microvesicles and vesicles of multivesicular bodies versus "virus-like" particles

A J Dalton

    Journal of the National Cancer Institute
    |May 1, 1975
    PubMed

    Insights

    Microvesicles found in fetal bovine serum (FBS) share structural similarities with cellular vesicles. These serum microvesicles are normal cell components, not viruses, and can originate from mitochondrial breakdown.

    Area of Science:

    • Cell Biology
    • Biochemistry
    • Microscopy

    Background:

    • Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is widely used in cell culture.
    • The nature and origin of microvesicles within FBS are not fully understood.
    • Distinguishing cellular microvesicles from viral particles is crucial in biological research.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To characterize the morphology and origin of microvesicles in fetal bovine serum (FBS).
    • To determine if FBS microvesicles are distinct from cellular vesicles.
    • To clarify the potential role of FBS microvesicles in cell culture and biological processes.

    Main Methods:

    • Centrifugation of filtered and unfiltered FBS to isolate microvesicles.
    • Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to analyze vesicle structure and size.
    • Comparison of FBS microvesicle morphology with vesicles from cell cultures and biological tissues.

    Main Results:

    • Pellets from FBS centrifugation contained numerous elongate and spherical microvesicles (30-60 nm).
    • These microvesicles exhibited a trilaminar envelope and electron-dense core, similar to cellular vesicles.
    • Identical structures were observed in vesicles from multivesicular bodies, secretory epithelial cells, and human lymphoblastoid cells.
    • Some microvesicles associated with human lymphoblastoid cells and baboon prostate were traced to the breakdown of mitochondrial cristae.

    Conclusions:

    • Microvesicles in FBS are structurally consistent with normal cellular components or breakdown products.
    • These serum microvesicles should not be mistaken for viruses.
    • Mitochondrial degeneration is a source of some microvesicles found in biological samples and potentially in cell culture.

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