JoVE - Journal of Visualized Experiments
JoVE Visualize
Contact Us

Exosomes, autophagy, and cancer: A complex triad

  • 0Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
International Journal of Cancer +

|

May 3, 2025

|

May 3, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Exosomes and autophagy are key players in cancer. Understanding their complex interaction could lead to new cancer biomarkers and therapies to combat tumor growth and metastasis.

Area Of Science

  • Biomedical Research
  • Cancer Biology
  • Cellular Communication

Background

  • Cancer remains a leading global cause of death, necessitating new therapeutic strategies.
  • Exosomes, small extracellular vesicles, are crucial for intercellular communication and have therapeutic potential.
  • Autophagy, a cellular process, is intricately linked to vesicle formation and secretion.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To review the role of exosomes in cancer development, including tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis.
  • To discuss the complex interplay between exosomes and autophagy in the context of cancer.
  • To explore the potential of this crosstalk for biomarker discovery and novel therapeutic strategies.

Main Methods

  • Literature review of exosomes and autophagy in cancer pathogenesis.
  • Analysis of the bidirectional relationship between exosomes and autophagy.
  • Discussion of the implications for cancer treatment and biomarker development.

Main Results

  • Exosomes significantly influence tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis.
  • The relationship between autophagy and exosome biogenesis/release is context-dependent.
  • This interplay is implicated in cancer progression and treatment resistance.

Conclusions

  • The crosstalk between exosomes and autophagy offers promising avenues for cancer biomarker discovery.
  • Targeting this interaction may lead to novel therapeutic strategies against cancer.
  • Further research into this complex relationship is warranted for clinical applications.

Keywords:

Related Concept Videos

Autophagy 01:27

4.0K

Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...

Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome 01:36

6.1K

Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...

Autocrine Signaling 01:01

47.5K

Autocrine signaling is one of the many signaling mechanisms that function inside multicellular organisms to carry out intercellular communication. In this type of signaling mechanism, the same cell that secretes an extracellular signaling molecule also expresses the receptors to bind and respond to that signaling molecule.
Autocrine Signaling in Macrophages
Under normal physiological conditions, autocrine signaling is essential for maintaining homeostasis. This process is well characterized in...

Overview of Exosomes 01:36

2.7K

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...

Autophagic Cell Death 01:18

2.7K

Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression 03:03

3.6K

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...