Isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicle-like nanoparticles derived from migrasomes

Migrasomes comprise a recently identified unique type of extracellular vesicle (EV) containing varying numbers of small vesicles. However, the final fate of these small vesicles is still unclear. Here, we report the discovery of EV-like migrasome-derived nanoparticles (MDNPs) that are produced by migrasomes releasing internal vesicles via self-rupture and through a process similar to cell plasma membrane budding. Our results demonstrate that MDNPs have a membrane structure with a typical round-shaped morphology and have the characteristic markers of migrasomes, but do not present the markers of EVs from the cell culture supernatant. More importantly, we also show that MDNPs are loaded with a large number of microRNAs different from those found in migrasomes and EVs. Our results provide evidence that migrasomes can produce EV-like nanoparticles. These findings have important implications for understanding the unknown biological functions of migrasomes.