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Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Isolation and Profiling of MicroRNA-containing Exosomes from Human Bile
Published on: June 13, 2016
Functional Roles for Exosomal MicroRNAs in the Tumour Microenvironment
1AstraZeneca, Personalised Healthcare and Biomarkers, iMed, Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge CB4 0FZ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Extracellular microRNAs are released from cells both passively and actively. The presence of these microRNAs in the tumour microenvironment (TME) can significantly impact on the plasticity of cancer cells leading to the promotion of metastatic and angiogenic processes. These extracellular microRNAs can act not only on other cancer cells, but also cells present in the TME, such as immune cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and others acting to subvert the host immune system and drive tumour progression. In this review we highlight the current understanding of both the mechanisms by which microRNAs are released from tumour cells and the downstream functional effects that extracellular microRNAs have on recipient cells.
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