外泌体：探究微生物感染机制的新视角

外泌体是细胞外囊泡的一种，由多囊泡体和细胞膜融合后释放到细胞外。外泌体能递送有功能的分子，包括蛋白质、脂质和核酸给受体细胞，参与细胞间通讯，影响细胞的各种生理与病理功能。近年来，越来越多研究发现，外泌体在病原微生物感染性疾病发病机制中也发挥重要作用。在慢性感染中，外泌体能传播感染性蛋白质和病毒RNA，并改变未感染细胞的功能。同时，这些具有极强免疫原性的蛋白质可向免疫系统递送病原信息，激活免疫系统。本文就外泌体在慢性病原体感染中的相关研究进展进行综述。研究这些机制，可为慢性感染的诊断和治疗提供新的思路。

Exosome: A New Perspective to Explore the Mechanism of Microbial Infections

Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicles that are released upon fusion of multivesicular bodies with the cellular plasma membrane. Exosomes are shown to deliver functional substances, including proteins, lipids and RNAs to recipient cells, mediating cell-to-cell communications and hence affecting the physiological and pathological functions of cells. In recent years, increased studies have found that exosomes play an important role in the pathogenesis of microbial infections. In chronic infection, pathogens have evolved strategies to spread infectious proteins and viral RNAs via exosomes to change the functions of uninfected cells. At the same time, proteins with high immunogenicity can deliver the pathogenic information to the immune system and hence activate anti-infectious immunity. This article reviews the progress of exosomes in microbial infections. Investigating these mechanisms may inspire future applications for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic infection.