Microparticle size and its relation to composition, functional activity, and clinical significance.
It is emerging that cell-derived microparticles (MP) have multiple functional activities in areas including hemostasis, thrombosis, inflammation, and as messengers in the transport of bioactive lipids, cytokines, complement, and immune signaling. Some of these activities may be performed by distinct phenotypic subsets of MP, even if derived from the same cell type. The focus of this article concerns the size classes of MP, covering methods of MP size measurement, differences in composition between size classes, and relation of size to functional (procoagulant) activity. Some of the issues considered remain to be resolved, such as whether the MP known as exosomes are truly a distinct class of MP, as well as the detailed mechanisms underlying the release of MP of different size ranges.
Wallace H Coulter Platelet Laboratory, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Miami, Florida, USA. wjy@med.miami.edu
Wenche
W
Jy
Lawrence L
LL
Horstman
Yeon S
YS
Ahn
D055252:Cell-Derived Microparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical; D019963:Clinical Chemistry Tests; D006801:Humans; D010316:Particle Size