Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy of Extracellular Vesicles in Three Dimensions
09:36

Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy of Extracellular Vesicles in Three Dimensions

Published on: August 26, 2021

Role of Exosome in infectious disease

Hamideh Mahmoodzadeh Hosseini1, Abbas Ali Imani Fooladi, Mohammad Reza Nourani

  • 1Applied Micobiology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. imanifouladi.a@gmail.com.

Inflammation & Allergy Drug Targets
|December 12, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Exosomes, nano-vesicles from cells, communicate information and play roles in infections. These vesicles show potential as vaccines for preventing and treating infectious diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Immunology
  • Infectious diseases

Background:

  • Exosomes are nano-vesicles released by mammalian cells, carrying specific molecular cargo like proteins and nucleic acids.
  • They facilitate intercellular communication and are involved in various biological processes.
  • Exosome secretion has also been observed in single-celled eukaryotes and in cells infected by intracellular pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of exosomes in infectious biology.
  • To investigate the potential of exosomes as therapeutic agents.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review on exosome function in host-pathogen interactions.
  • Analysis of exosome involvement in spreading or limiting infections.
  • Evaluation of exosome characteristics for vaccine development.

Main Results:

  • Exosomes from various sources, including pathogens and infected cells, influence host immune responses.
  • Viral vesicles similar to exosomes are generated by retroviruses using host cell machinery.
  • Exosomes can either promote or restrict infections depending on the pathogen and target cells.

Conclusions:

  • Exosomes are implicated in the complex interplay between hosts and pathogens.
  • Their multifaceted roles in infection suggest potential applications in prophylaxis and treatment.
  • Exosomes represent a promising candidate for vaccine development against infectious diseases.

More Related Videos

Isolation and Characterization of RNA-Containing Exosomes09:43

Isolation and Characterization of RNA-Containing Exosomes

Published on: January 9, 2012

Isolation and Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles from Adult Schistosoma japonicum07:37

Isolation and Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles from Adult Schistosoma japonicum

Published on: May 22, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Overview of Exosomes01:36

Overview of Exosomes

Exosomes are stable, lipid bilayer-enclosed vesicles capable of crossing biological barriers. They can carry a wide range of molecules required for intercellular communication. Once exosomes are released from the cell where they originated, they enter a recipient cell through various pathways such as fusion, receptor-mediated endocytosis, macropinocytosis, and phagocytosis.
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis01:30

Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is indispensable for viral replication, as viruses lack the cellular machinery required for this process and must hijack the host's translational apparatus. In response, host cells deploy a critical innate immune defense involving interferons, specialized cytokines that play a central role in inhibiting viral propagation.Upon viral detection, infected cells release interferons that bind to receptors on adjacent uninfected cells, activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and...
Exocytosis00:50

Exocytosis

Exocytosis is a process that releases molecules outside the cell. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
Exocytosis is the opposite of endocytosis, which brings molecules inside the cell. Sometimes, the released materials are signaling molecules. For example, neurons typically use exocytosis to release neurotransmitters. Cells also use exocytosis to insert proteins such as ion channels into their cell membranes, secrete proteins for use in the extracellular matrix, or...
Exocytosis00:51

Exocytosis

Exocytosis is used to release material from cells. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
Retroviruses02:33

Retroviruses

Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:20

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is when bulk amounts of specific molecules are imported into a cell after binding to cell surface receptors. The molecules bound to these receptors are taken into the cell through inward folding of the cell surface membrane, which is eventually pinched off into a vesicle within the cell. Structural proteins, such as clathrin, coat the budding vesicle.
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...