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Pathogen-derived extracellular vesicles coordinate social behaviour and host manipulation
Yifat Ofir-Birin1, Meta Heidenreich1, Neta Regev-Rudzki1
1Faculty of Biochemistry, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Insights
Pathogens use extracellular vesicles (EVs) for cell-cell communication, influencing disease progression and host responses. Understanding this communication is key to developing new therapies against infectious diseases.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Infectious diseases pose a significant global health challenge, particularly for children.
- Pathogen-host interactions are complex, involving intricate cell-cell communication mechanisms.
- Pathogens utilize secreted vesicles for intercellular communication, transferring molecules that alter recipient cell functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in pathogen social interactions and communication.
- To highlight how pathogens employ EVs to modulate host immune and non-immune responses.
- To emphasize the therapeutic potential of understanding pathogen-host communication via EVs.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on extracellular vesicles (EVs) in infectious diseases.
- Analysis of mechanisms by which pathogens use EVs for communication.
- Examination of EV-mediated manipulation of host responses.
Main Results:
- Pathogens use EVs for intra- and inter-species communication, coordinating virulence and population density.
- EVs facilitate the transfer of biologically active molecules, inducing phenotypic changes in host cells.
- Pathogens leverage EVs to suppress host immunity and promote their survival.
Conclusions:
- Extracellular vesicles play a critical role in the social behavior of pathogens.
- Understanding EV-mediated communication is crucial for deciphering pathogen-host interactions.
- Targeting EV communication pathways offers promising therapeutic strategies against infectious agents.
Abstract:
Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death of children worldwide, causing a tenacious and major public-health burden. The dynamic interplay between pathogens and their host is one of the most complicated themes of the disease progression. Pathogens excel in developing different means to facilitate cell-cell communication via secreted vesicles, among others. The released vesicles are involved in the transfer of biologically active molecules that induce phenotypic changes in the recipient cells. The messages within the vesicles are delivered to coordinate diverse processes, including virulence factor expression, differentiation state and control of their population density. Importantly, production of such vesicles promotes pathogen survival, as it provides a secure means of pathogen-pathogen communication and an ability to manipulate host responses for their own benefits. This review highlights intriguing findings, which show the important role of EVs in the social activity of pathogens, within and in between their communities. We further present examples of how pathogens use EVs to alter host immune and non-immune responses. Advancing our understanding of cell-cell communication in infectious diseases will be particularly useful to decipher the complexity of the cross-talk between pathogens themselves and their hosts, leading to the development of therapeutic strategies for fighting infectious agents.