Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026
09:36
Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy of Extracellular Vesicles in Three Dimensions
Published on: August 26, 2021
4.5K
Extracellular vesicles and viruses: Are they close relatives?
Esther Nolte-'t Hoen1, Tom Cremer1, Robert C Gallo2
1Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands;
Summary
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanoparticles involved in cell communication. Their similarity to retroviruses impacts viral infections, offering potential for therapeutic applications.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Virology
- Nanomedicine
Background:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are phospholipid membrane-enclosed entities involved in intercellular communication.
- EVs share physical, chemical, and biogenesis similarities with retroviruses.
- EVs can incorporate viral components, resembling non-infectious retroviruses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in viral infections.
- To investigate the mechanisms of EV-cell interactions.
- To assess the potential of EVs in antiviral therapies and drug delivery.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of physical and chemical characteristics of EVs.
- Investigation of EV biogenesis pathways.
- Study of EV incorporation of viral proteins and RNA fragments.
Main Results:
- EVs play a dual role in viral infections, both facilitating and suppressing them.
- EVs containing viral material can be indistinguishable from defective retroviruses.
- Understanding EV-cell interactions is key to developing antiviral strategies.
Conclusions:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are crucial mediators in viral pathogenesis.
- EVs represent a promising platform for developing novel antiviral therapies.
- Targeted drug delivery using engineered EVs is a potential therapeutic avenue.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Receptor-mediated Endocytosis
11.3K
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...
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
11.3K
01:38Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies
5.1K
Intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) are small vesicles 50-80 nm in diameter formed during the maturation of early endosomes. A specialized endosome containing numerous ILVs is called a multivesicular body (MVB). ILVs contain internalized molecules such as antigens, nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites. Some of these molecules are released from the MVBs inside exosomes and are transported to other cells. Other MVBs contain molecules that are retained in the ILVs and are later degraded within the...
5.1K
01:36Overview of Exosomes
3.9K
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...
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
3.9K
01:28Introduction to Virus
2.3K
Viruses are unique biological entities that blur the boundary between living and non-living systems. Although they lack cellular structure and metabolic processes, they can exhibit characteristics of life when infecting a host. Their defining feature is a nucleic acid core, composed of either DNA or RNA, encapsulated within a protein coat called a capsid. This simple structure allows them to invade host cells and use their machinery for replication efficiently.Viral Structure and...
2.3K
01:18Vesicular Trasport: Endocytosis, Transcytosis and Exocytosis
4.2K
Vesicular transport is a cellular process that encompasses the engulfment of particles or dissolved substances by cells. It involves 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...
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...
4.2K
01:45Vesicular Tubular Clusters
3.3K
After budding out from the ER membrane, some COPII vesicles lose their coat and fuse with one another to form larger vesicles and interconnected tubules called vesicular tubular clusters or VTCs. These clusters constitute a compartment at the ER-Golgi interface known as ERGIC (Endoplasmic Reticulum Golgi Intermediate Compartment). The ERGIC is a mobile membrane-bound cargo transport system that sorts proteins secreted from ER and delivers them to the Golgi.
With the help of motor proteins such...
With the help of motor proteins such...
3.3K