Microvesicles and exosomes as vehicles between protozoan and host cell communication
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

Evaluation of Extracellular Vesicle Function During Malaria Infection
Published on: February 14, 2018
Poliana Deolindo1, Ingrid Evans-Osses, Marcel Ivan Ramirez
1Laboratorio de Biologia Molecular de Parasitas e Vetores, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, 21040-900, Brazil.
Abstract:
Cells release extracellular vesicles in response to external factors or in a physiological way. Microvesicles and exosomes originate in cells in different ways and, depending on their contents, may have multiple biological effects on other cells and the environment. The host cell-parasite relationship could be changed dramatically by the plasticity of a new type of communication through extracellular vesicles. In the present paper, we discuss how protozoans use this new resource to evade the immune system and establish infection.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Exosomes
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
Exocytosis
Exocytosis
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...
Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies
Vesicular Trasport: Endocytosis, Transcytosis and Exocytosis
Endocytosis is a cellular mechanism that involves the inward folding of the cell membrane to create vesicles that capture and transport large drug molecules. This process comprises two distinct methods: pinocytosis (often referred to as "cell drinking") and phagocytosis (often referred to as "cell eating"). Pinocytosis is...
Fungal Phylum Microsporidia

