凝胶电泳微流控芯片提取外泌体及对人血浆外泌体中miRNA-21的测定

为了开发一种用于人体血浆中外泌体的高效快速提取和分离的新型微流控芯片,文中收集健康人体外周血液样本,自主设计并制备基于纳米多孔薄膜和琼脂糖凝胶电泳的微流芯片。提取的外泌体使用透射电镜、Nanosight和Western blotting等技术进行表征,鉴定并分析其形态、浓度和粒径分布。同时将超速离心法和微流芯片所提取的外泌体进行粒径和浓度的分析比较,探讨两种方法各自的提取效率。最后,利用RT-PCR技术分析外泌体中miRNA-21的相对表达量。凝胶电泳微流芯片可在1 h内快速的从血浆中高效率地提取出纯度高、大小完整、尺寸分布在30–200 nm之间的外泌体,满足后续下游分析的要求。通过与现有最普遍的超速离心法进行对比分析,当血浆样本量小于100μL时,凝胶电泳微流芯片提取外泌体的效率为超速离心法的3.80倍。凝胶电泳微流芯片提取外泌体的优化参数是:电场电压:100 V;琼脂糖凝胶浓度:1.0%;注射泵流速:0.1 mL/h。凝胶电泳微流芯片可快速高效地提取出外泌体,对外泌体与癌症生物标记物的相关研究具有潜在的巨大优势,也为基于外泌体的即时诊断技术提供了可能。     

人脐血血浆外泌体提取方法的比较北大核心CSCD

为探寻高效且稳定的提取人脐血血浆外泌体的方法,利用超高速离心法、蔗糖垫密度梯度离心法、改良超速离心法和聚乙二醇(polyethylene glycol, PEG)沉淀法提取人脐血血浆外泌体,并比较4种方法的优劣。利用透射电镜、动态光散射技术观察外泌体的形态、结构及大小;聚氰基丙烯酸正丁酯(bicinchoninic acid, BCA)法测定外泌体蛋白总量;Western blotting检测外泌体表面标志蛋白CD63、HSP70以及外泌体阴性蛋白GM130 (高尔基标志蛋白)的表达。结果表明,与提取外泌体的“金标准”,即超高速离心法相比,蔗糖垫密度梯度离心法稳定性好,获取的外泌体粒径较均一,但操作较复杂,耗时长;改良超速离心法操作较简单,纯度较高;PEG沉淀法提取的外泌体蛋白量最高,操作时间最短,但杂质较多。结果表明,4种方法均能从人脐血血浆中获取外泌体,但在操作时间、纯度、提取量等方面存在一定差异。因此,应根据实验目的和具体要求选择合适的提取人脐血血浆外泌体的方法。     

Circular RNAs expression profiles in plasma exosomes from early-stage lung adenocarcinoma and the potential biomarkers

This study aimed to identify differential circular RNA (circRNA) in the plasma exosomes of patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) using high-throughput sequencing. First, exosomes were isolated using an exosome isolation kit and confirmed by Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and NanoSight Assay. Subsequently, plasma circRNA expression profiles were screened by high-throughput sequencing and confirmed by fluorescence quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Sanger sequencing. Finally, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was performed to forecast the potential function of circRNAs. The result of high-throughput sequencing data documented that 182 differentially expressed exosomal circRNAs in all were screened, which included 105 that were upregulated and 78 that were downregulated in LUAD patients plasma compared with controls. The four upregulated circRNAs including circ_0001492, circ_0001346, circ_0000690, and circ_0001439 were identical to the sequencing data by qRT-PCR, and their latent circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions were exhibited. Taken together, our study firstly revealed the altered exosomal circRNA expression from plasma samples in patients with LUAD and supports the need for exploring their potential as biomarkers and the pathological effects of lung cancer.     

Exosomes Released from Rabies Virus-Infected Cells May be Involved in the Infection Process

Exosomes are cell-derived vesicles that are secreted by many eukaryotic cells. It has recently attracted attention as vehicles of intercellular communication. Virus-infected cells release exosomes, which contain viral proteins, RNA, and pathogenic molecules. However, the role of exosomes in virus infection process remains unclear and needs to be further investigated.In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of exosomes on rabies virus infection. OptiPrep~(TM) density gradient centrifugation was used to isolate exosomes from rabies virus-infected cell culture supernatants. A rabies virus G protein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and acetylcholinesterase activity assays were performed to verify the centrifugation fractions. Exosomes were then characterized using transmission electron microscopy and Western blotting. Our results showed that rabies virus infection increased the release of exosomes. Treatment with GW4869 and si-Rab27 a, two exosomal secretion inhibitors, inhibited exosome release. Furthermore, the inhibitors reduced the levels of extracellular and intracellular viral RNA. These data indicated that exosomes may participate in the viral infection process. Moreover, our results establish a basis for future research into the roles of exosomes in rabies virus infection and as potential targets for developing new antiviral strategies.     

Influence of storage condition on exosome recovery

Most of mammalian cells release extracellular vesicles including exosomes which mediate intercellular communication by delivering a variety of molecules. Despite of their importance in normal physiology and disease progression, the standard criteria of storage condition is indefinite and controversial. Therefore, we investigated exosome’s recovery yield and stability by various storage conditions. To investigate the effect of short-term storage temperature on exosome stability, exosomes were incubated at temperatures ranging from -70 to 90°C for 30 min. Immunoblot results showed that all exosome-associated proteins incubated at 90°C were mostly degraded for a short period of time. To examine the effect of long-term storage, isolated exosomes were incubated for 10 days at from -70°C to room temperature (RT), and exosomal protein, RNA and exosome markers were examined. Protein and RNA amounts were most reduced at RT compared with -70 and 4°C. Incubation at 4°C and RT resulted in major loss of CD63, and decreasing level of HSP70 was shown at only RT. In addition, flow cytometry result showed that exosome population became more dispersed after RT incubation for 10 days compared with -70°C incubated or freshly isolated exosomes. In summary, our results indicate that different storage temperature and period influences recovery yield and morphology of exosome, and storage at below -70°C is the favorable condition for preservation of fresh exosomes for clinical application and basic researches.     

人嗅黏膜间充质干细胞来源外泌体的分离鉴定及生物学特性研究

外泌体是指释放到细胞外微环境中的直径约50～130 nm的纳米级的膜性囊泡。嗅黏膜间充质干细胞（olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem cells,OM-MSCs）作为一类新发现的间充质干细胞,在许多疾病中均具有治疗作用,且其内在机制与其旁分泌的外泌体密切相关,但OM-MSCs外泌体的分离、鉴定及生物学特性的研究尚未见报道。本研究采用超速离心法提取OM-MSCs培养液中的外泌体,应用流式细胞术及免疫荧光进行细胞鉴定后,分别用透射电子显微镜、纳米粒径分析及Western印迹对外泌体形态、颗粒大小和表面的特异性分子标志进行分析鉴定。采用CCK8增殖实验,Western印迹和划痕实验,分析其对人脑微血管内皮细胞增殖和迁移的影响。电镜、Western 印迹和纳米粒径分析的结果显示：OM-MSCs来源外泌体形态多为圆形,直径约为40～150 nm;表达外泌体标记物CD63,CD81;CCK-8法检测显示：不同浓度的OM-MSCs源外泌体可提高人脑微血管内皮细胞的增殖活性,且其增殖促进作用具有浓度依赖性（P<0.05）。Western 印迹检测结果显示：相比空白对照组,OM-MSCs源外泌体可显著提高内皮细胞的增殖细胞核抗原蛋白质水平表达（P<0.01）,细胞划痕实验结果显示,OM-MSCs源外泌体可增强内皮细胞的迁移能力,且高于对照组（P<0.01）。本研究表明：通过超速离心法可以分离纯化获得OM-MSCs源外泌体,且该外泌体具有促进人脑微血管内皮细胞迁移和增殖的作用。     

Blockage of transferred exosome-shuttled miR-494 inhibits melanoma growth and metastasis

There is emerging evidence of bioactive material transport by exosomes in melanoma. However, the functions of exosome content underlying such cancer progression remain largely unknown. We aimed at determining whether exosome secretion contributes to cellular microRNA-494 (miR-494) loss and investigated the roles of miR-494 in melanoma progression. The exosomes from blood serum and cell culture conditioned media were separated by ultracentrifugation. A short hairpin RNA was used to silence rab27a for inhibiting exosome release. To address the functional role of exosomal miR-494, we assessed cell proliferation, migration, invasion capabilities, and cell apoptosis. Finally, subcutaneous xenograft and lung-metastasis models were constructed to determine the effect of exosomal miR-494 in vivo. Based on long noncoding RNA microarray analysis of melanocyte and melanoma-derived exosomes from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we discovered that miR-494 was enriched in melanoma-derived exosomes. And miR-494 was increased in exosomes secreted from melanoma patients’ serum and A375 cells. Rab27a depletion reduced exosome secretion and rescued the abundance of cellular miR-494. Functional studies revealed that knockdown of rab27a and subsequent accumulation of miR-494 significantly suppressed the malignant phenotypes of melanoma cells via inducing cell apoptosis. Nude mice experiments confirmed that tumor growth and metastasis were suppressed by increasing miR-494 accumulation after rab27a depletion. In conclusion, blocking transferred exosome-shuttled miR-494 is a potential therapeutic option for melanoma.     

Proteomic analysis of dendritic cell-derived exosomes: a secreted subcellular compartment distinct from apoptotic vesicles

Dendritic cells constitutively secrete a population of small (50-90 nm diameter) Ag-presenting vesicles called exosomes. When sensitized with tumor antigenic peptides, dendritic cells produce exosomes, which stimulate anti-tumor immune responses and the rejection of established tumors in mice. Using a systematic proteomic approach, we establish the first extensive protein map of a particular exosome population; 21 new exosomal proteins were thus identified. Most proteins present in exosomes are related to endocytic compartments. New exosomal residents include cytosolic proteins most likely involved in exosome biogenesis and function, mainly cytoskeleton-related (cofilin, profilin I, and elongation factor 1alpha) and intracellular membrane transport and signaling factors (such as several annexins, rab 7 and 11, rap1B, and syntenin). Importantly, we also identified a novel category of exosomal proteins related to apoptosis: thioredoxin peroxidase II, Alix, 14-3-3, and galectin-3. These findings led us to analyze possible structural relationships between exosomes and microvesicles released by apoptotic cells. We show that although they both represent secreted populations of membrane vesicles relevant to immune responses, exosomes and apoptotic vesicles are biochemically and morphologically distinct. Therefore, in addition to cytokines, dendritic cells produce a specific population of membrane vesicles, exosomes, with unique molecular composition and strong immunostimulating properties.     

Isolation and characterization of RNA-containing exosomes

The field of exosome research is rapidly expanding, with a dramatic increase in publications in recent years. These small vesicles (30-100 nm) of endocytic origin were first proposed to function as a way for reticulocytes to eradicate the transferrin receptor while maturing into erythrocytes, and were later named exosomes. Exosomes are formed by inward budding of late endosomes, producing multivesicular bodies (MVBs), and are released into the environment by fusion of the MVBs with the plasma membrane. Since the first discovery of exosomes, a wide range of cells have been shown to release these vesicles. Exosomes have also been detected in several biological fluids, including plasma, nasal lavage fluid, saliva and breast milk. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the content and function of exosomes depends on the originating cell and the conditions under which they are produced. A variety of functions have been demonstrated for exosomes, such as induction of tolerance against allergen, eradication of established tumors in mice, inhibition and activation of natural killer cells, promotion of differentiation into T regulatory cells, stimulation of T cell proliferation and induction of T cell apoptosis. Year 2007 we demonstrated that exosomes released from mast cells contain messenger RNA (mRNA) and microRNA (miRNA), and that the RNA can be shuttled from one cell to another via exosomes. In the recipient cells, the mRNA shuttled by exosomes was shown to be translated into protein, suggesting a regulatory function of the transferred RNA. Further, we have also shown that exosomes derived from cells grown under oxidative stress can induce tolerance against further stress in recipient cells and thus suggest a biological function of the exosomal shuttle RNA. Cell culture media and biological fluids contain a mixture of vesicles and shed fragments. A high quality isolation method for exosomes, followed by characterization and identification of the exosomes and their content, is therefore crucial to distinguish exosomes from other vesicles and particles. Here, we present a method for the isolation of exosomes from both cell culture medium and body fluids. This isolation method is based on repeated centrifugation and filtration steps, followed by a final ultracentrifugation step in which the exosomes are pelleted. Important methods to identify the exosomes and characterize the exosomal morphology and protein content are highlighted, including electron microscopy, flow cytometry and Western blot. The purification of the total exosomal RNA is based on spin column chromatography and the exosomal RNA yield and size distribution is analyzed using a Bioanalyzer.     

Plasma-Derived Exosomal Survivin,a Plausible Biomarker for Early Detection of Prostate Cancer

Background

Survivin is expressed in prostate cancer (PCa), and its downregulation sensitizes PCa cells to chemotherapeutic agents in vitro and in vivo. Small membrane-bound vesicles called exosomes, secreted from the endosomal membrane compartment, contain RNA and protein that they readily transport via exosome internalization into recipient cells. Recent progress has shown that tumor-derived exosomes play multiple roles in tumor growth and metastasis and may produce these functions via immune escape, tumor invasion and angiogenesis. Furthermore, exosome analysis may provide novel biomarkers to diagnose or monitor PCa treatment.

Methods

Exosomes were purified from the plasma and serum from 39 PCa patients, 20 BPH patients, 8 prostate cancer recurrent and 16 healthy controls using ultracentrifugation and their quantities and qualities were quantified and visualized from both the plasma and the purified exosomes using ELISA and Western blotting, respectively.

Results

Survivin was significantly increased in the tumor-derived samples, compared to those from BPH and controls with virtually no difference in the quantity of Survivin detected in exosomes collected from newly diagnosed patients exhibiting low (six) or high (nine) Gleason scores. Exosome Survivin levels were also higher in patients that had relapsed on chemotherapy compared to controls.

Conclusions

These studies demonstrate that Survivin exists in plasma exosomes from both normal, BPH and PCa subjects. The relative amounts of exosomal Survivin in PCa plasma was significantly higher than in those with pre-inflammatory BPH and control plasma. This differential expression of exosomal Survivin was seen with both newly diagnosed and advanced PCa subjects with high or low-grade cancers. Analysis of plasma exosomal Survivin levels may offer a convenient tool for diagnosing or monitoring PCa and may, as it is elevated in low as well as high Gleason scored samples, be used for early detection.     

Exosomal circRNAs as novel cancer biomarkers: Challenges and opportunities

Identifying high specificity and sensitivity biomarkers has always been the focus of research in the field of non-invasive cancer diagnosis. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with a lipid bilayer membrane that can be released by all types of cells, which contain a variety of proteins, lipids, and a variety of non-coding RNAs. Increasing research has shown that the lipid bilayer can effectively protect the nucleic acid in exosomes. In cancers, tumor cell-derived exosomal circRNAs can act on target cells or organs through the transport of exosomes, and then participate in the regulation of tumor development and metastasis. Since exosomes exist in various body fluids and circRNAs in exosomes exhibit high stability, exosomal circRNAs have the potential as biomarkers for early and minimally invasive cancer diagnosis and prognosis judgment. In this review, we summarized circRNAs and their biological roles in cancers, with the emerging value biomarkers in cancer diagnosis, disease judgment, and prognosis observation. In addition, we briefly compared the advantages of exosomal circRNAs as biomarkers and the current obstacles in the exosome isolation technology, shed light to the future development of this technology.     

支原体污染增加人肿瘤细胞外泌体生成并改变其小RNA表达模式

目的:研究支原体污染对肿瘤细胞外泌体生成的影响,探讨支原体导致的外泌体量和质的变化。方法:应用荧光显微镜及荧光共振能量转移观察支原体污染导致的胞内膜脂质向胞膜再分布及跨细胞传输变化,应用western blotting检测污染细胞上清中外泌体标记物CD81蛋白含量,应用芯片检测污染细胞上清外泌体中小RNA的表达变化模式。结果:支原体污染导致Rab11和胞膜脂质染料信号强度上升2倍以上,提示胞内膜脂质向胞膜再分布增强;支原体污染导致Di O和Di I双染细胞胞内膜泡的FRET指数上升4倍,提示膜脂质由支原体污染细胞向未污染细胞的跨细胞传输增强;污染细胞的上清中外泌体标志物CD81明显升高;污染导致外泌体内小RNA表达模式改变。结论:体外实验显示支原体污染可造成外泌体质和量的改变。     

Exosomes and HIV Gag bud from endosome-like domains of the T cell plasma membrane

Exosomes are secreted, single membrane organelles of approximately 100 nm diameter. Their biogenesis is typically thought to occur in a two-step process involving (1) outward vesicle budding at limiting membranes of endosomes (outward = away from the cytoplasm), which generates intralumenal vesicles, followed by (2) endosome-plasma membrane fusion, which releases these internal vesicles into the extracellular milieu as exosomes. In this study, we present evidence that certain cells, including Jurkat T cells, possess discrete domains of plasma membrane that are enriched for exosomal and endosomal proteins, retain the endosomal property of outward vesicle budding, and serve as sites of immediate exosome biogenesis. It has been hypothesized that retroviruses utilize the exosome biogenesis pathway for the formation of infectious particles. In support of this, we find that Jurkat T cells direct the key budding factor of HIV, HIV Gag, to these endosome-like domains of plasma membrane and secrete HIV Gag from the cell in exosomes.     

Isolation of Exosomes from Blood Plasma: Qualitative and Quantitative Comparison of Ultracentrifugation and Size Exclusion Chromatography Methods

Background

Exosomes are emerging targets for biomedical research. However, suitable methods for the isolation of blood plasma-derived exosomes without impurities have not yet been described.

Aim

Therefore, we investigated the efficiency and purity of exosomes isolated with potentially suitable methods; differential ultracentrifugation (UC) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC).

Methods and Results

Exosomes were isolated from rat and human blood plasma by various UC and SEC conditions. Efficiency was investigated at serial UC of the supernatant, while in case of SEC by comparing the content of exosomal markers of various fractions. Purity was assessed based on the presence of albumin. We found that the diameter of the majority of isolated particles fell into the size range of exosomes, however, albumin was also present in the preparations, when 1h UC at 4°C was applied. Furthermore, with this method only a minor fraction of total exosomes could be isolated from blood as deduced from the constant amount of exosomal markers CD63 and TSG101 detected after serial UC of rat blood plasma samples. By using UC for longer time or with shorter sedimentation distance at 4°C, or UC performed at 37°C, exosomal yield increased, but albumin impurity was still observed in the isolates, as assessed by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and immunoblotting against CD63, TSG101 and albumin. Efficiency and purity were not different in case of using further diluted samples. By using SEC with different columns, we have found that although a minor fraction of exosomes can be isolated without significant albumin content on Sepharose CL-4B or Sephacryl S-400 columns, but not on Sepharose 2B columns, the majority of exosomes co-eluted with albumin.

Conclusion

Here we show that it is feasible to isolate exosomes from blood plasma by SEC without significant albumin contamination albeit with low vesicle yield.     

不同血清量标本外泌体提取及微小RNA的检测结果比较

本文旨在探讨Qiagen exoRNeasy Serum/Plasma试剂盒提取血清标本中外泌体所需的最适血清量。采用Qiagen exoRNeasy Serum/Plasma 试剂盒分别对250、500、1 000 μL血清中的外泌体进行抽提,使用透射电子显微镜检测分离的外泌体大小和形态,蛋白质免疫印迹法检测外泌体蛋白标记CD63和TSG101的表达,实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)检测外泌体中微小RNA-122(microRNA-122,miR-122)的表达。结果显示,透射电子显微镜下可见血清外泌体呈圆形或椭圆形,直径30～150 nm,有完整的膜结构。蛋白免疫印迹法检测外泌体CD63和TSG101阳性。实时荧光定量PCR检测慢性乙型肝炎患者250、500、1 000 μL血清外泌体中miR-122表达量,与正常人相比,分别上调22.44、21.48、20.69倍(P＝0.42)。结果提示,在临床血清样本体积有限的情况下,采用 Qiagen exoRNeasy Serum/Plasma 试剂盒提取血清中外泌体,减少血清量至250 μL也可达到所需实验目的。     

Identification and characterization of hADSC-derived exosome proteins from different isolation methods

Exosomes are secreted into the extracellular space by most cell types and contain various molecular constituents, which play roles in many biological processes. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can differentiate into a variety of cell types and secrete a series of paracrine factors through exosomes. ADSC-derived exosomes have shown diagnostic and therapeutic potential in many clinical diseases. The molecular components are critical for their mechanisms. Several methods have been developed for exosome purification, including ultracentrifugation, ultrafiltration, density gradient purification, size-based isolation, polymer precipitation and immuno-affinity purification. Thus, we employed four methods to isolate exosomes from the hADSC culture medium, including ultracentrifugation, size exclusion chromatography, ExoQuick-TC precipitation and ExoQuick-TC ULTRA isolation. Following exosome isolation, we performed quantitative proteomic analysis of the exosome proteins using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) labelling, combined with 2D-LC-MS/MS. There were 599 universal and 138 stably expressed proteins in hADSC-derived exosomes. We proved that these proteins were potential hADSC-derived exosomes markers, including CD109, CD166, HSPA4, TRAP1, RAB2A, RAB11B and RAB14. From the quantitative proteomic analysis, we demonstrated that hADSC-derived exosome protein expression varied, with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment, in the different isolation methods. Pathway analysis and proliferation, migration and endothelial tube formation assays showed varying effects in cells stimulated with hADSC-derived exosomes from different isolation methods. Our study revealed that different isolation methods might introduce variations in the protein composition in exosomes, which reflects their effects on biological function. The pros and cons of these methods are important points to consider for downstream research applications.     

Exosomal miR-375 promotes the activity of osteoblasts in prostate cancer

Studies have shown that exosomes influence tumour metastasis, diagnosis, and treatment. It has been found that exosomal miRNAs are closely linked to the metastatic microenvironment. However, the regulatory role of exosomes from prostate cancer (PCa) cells in bone metastasis remains poorly understood. Here, exosomes were isolated and purified by ultracentrifugation, total RNA from cells and total miRNA from exosomes were isolated, and the level of miR-375 was analyzed by RT-PCR. Exosome libraries from LNCaP cells and RWPE-1 cells were sequenced and filtered with an Illumina HiSeq^TM 2500 system. The activity of alkaline phosphatase, the extent of extracellular matrix mineralization, and the expression of osteoblast activity-related marker genes were measured to evaluate osteoblast activity. Morphological observation, particle size analysis, and molecular phenotyping confirmed that the isolated extracts contained exosomes. Differential expression analysis confirmed the high expression of miR-375 in LNCaP cell-derived exosomes. This study suggest that exosomes could enter osteoblasts and increase their miR-375 level. In addition, exosomal miR-375 could significantly promote the activity of osteoblasts.This study lays the foundation for further investigations on the function of exosomal miR-375 in the activation and differentiation of osteoblasts and the mechanism of bone metastasis in PCa.     

The mechanisms underlying the enrichment and action of glypican-1-positive exosomes in colorectal cancer cells

BackgroundGlypican-1 (GPC1) is overexpressed in several tumors, and GPC1⁺ exosomes have shown the potential to predict early colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanisms underlying the enrichment and action of GPC1⁺ exosomes in CRC remain unknown.MethodsThe expression of slit guidance ligand 2 (SLIT2), hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α/2α, and GPC1 in clinical CRC tissues was detected using immunohistochemistry and western blot. Exosomes were isolated from the supernatants of CRC cell cultures. The effects of SLIT2, hypoxia, heparin, and phospholipase C (PLC) on exosomal GPC1 expression and GPC1⁺ exosome enrichment in CRC cells were analyzed with western blot and flow cytometry. CRC cell proliferation was assessed with MTT and colony formation assays. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to detect the binding of GPC1 and SLIT2 in SW480 cells. Nude mice were subcutaneously inoculated with SW480 cells with different treatments. The Wnt signaling was detected.ResultsSLIT2 was poorly expressed and GPC1, HIF-1α, and HIF-2α were highly expressed in human CRC tissues. SLIT2 in CRC cells inhibited GPC1⁺ exosome enrichment and exosomal GPC1 expression. PLC and heparin increased GPC1⁺ exosome enrichment in CRC cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Hypoxia increased the enrichment of GPC1⁺ exosomes in CRC cells depending on HIF-2α expression. GPC1⁺ exosomes stimulated CRC cell proliferation and xenograft tumor growth through activation of Wnt signaling.ConclusionsGPC1⁺ exosome enrichment is related to PLC and heparin. Hypoxia increases the enrichment of GPC1⁺ exosomes in CRC cells by activating HIF-2α and downregulating SLIT2. GPC1⁺ exosomes further drive CRC progression by activating Wnt signaling.     

ExoCarta: A compendium of exosomal proteins and RNA

Exosomes, membrane microvesicles (40–100 nm) secreted by most cell types, can be isolated in several ways while characterizing them is heavily based on electron microscopy and, most importantly, the identification of exosome marker proteins. Researchers rely on the identification of certain exosomal marker proteins including Alix, CD9 and CD63 to confirm the presence of exosomes in their preparations. An evolutionary‐conserved set of protein molecules have been identified in most exosomes studied to date. However, with the complexity of tissue/cell type‐specific proteins being incorporated in the exosomes, some of these so‐called exosomal markers are not always present in all the exosomes. The presence of tissue/cell type‐specific proteins in exosomes allows researchers to isolate them using immunoaffinity capture methods. A compendium for exosomal proteomes will aid researchers in identifying proteins that were more commonly found in various exosomes (exosome markers) and those that are specific to certain tissue/cell type‐derived exosomes. Here, we describe ExoCarta, a compendium for proteins and RNA molecules identified in exosomes. ExoCarta is first of its kind and the resource is freely available to the scientific community through the web ( http://exocarta.ludwig.edu.au ). We believe that this community resource will be of great biological importance for any future exosome analyses.     

Myotube-derived exosomal miRNAs downregulate Sirtuin1 in myoblasts during muscle cell differentiation

It has recently been established that exosomes can mediate intercellular cross-talk under normal and pathological conditions through the transfer of specific miRNAs. As muscle cells secrete exosomes, we addressed the question of whether skeletal muscle (SkM) exosomes contained specific miRNAs, and whether they could act as “endocrine signals” during myogenesis. We compared the miRNA repertoires found in exosomes released from C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes and found that 171 and 182 miRNAs were exported into exosomes from myoblasts and myotubes, respectively. Interestingly, some miRNAs were expressed at higher levels in exosomes than in their donor cells and vice versa, indicating a selectivity in the incorporation of miRNAs into exosomes. Moreover miRNAs from C2C12 exosomes were regulated during myogenesis. The predicted target genes of regulated exosomal miRNAs are mainly involved in the control of important signaling pathways for muscle cell differentiation (e.g., Wnt signaling pathway). We demonstrated that exosomes from myotubes can transfer small RNAs (C. elegans miRNAs and siRNA) into myoblasts. Moreover, we present evidence that exosome miRNAs secreted by myotubes are functionally able to silence Sirt1 in myoblasts. As Sirt1 regulates muscle gene expression and differentiation, our results show that myotube–exosome miRNAs could contribute to the commitment of myoblasts in the process of differentiation. Until now, myokines in muscle cell secretome provided a conceptual basis for communication between muscles. Here, we show that miRNA exosomal transfer would be a powerful means by which gene expression is orchestrated to regulate SkM metabolic homeostasis.