title: Exosomes in carcinogenesis: molecular palkis carry signals for the regulation of cancer progression and metastasis.
abstract: Exosomes, which act as biological cargo vessels, are cell-released, phospholipid-enclosed vesicles. In eukaryotic cells, exosomes carry and exchange biological materials or signals for the benefit or detriment to the cells. Thereby, we consider exosomes to be molecular Palkis (carriers). Although exosomes are currently one of the most popularly researched cellular entities, they have remained largely enigmatic and warrant continued investigation into their structure and functions. These membraned vesicles are between 30 and 150 nm in diameter and are actively secreted by all cell types. While initially considered cellular "trash bags," recent years have revealed exosomes to be dynamic and multi-functional vesicles that may play a crucial role in cancer development, progression and metastasis. Thereby, they have the potential to be used in development of therapeutic modalities for cancer and other diseases. As more research studies emerge, it's becoming evident that exosomes are released by cells with a purpose and are representatives of certain cell types and disease conditions. Hence, they may also be used as biomarkers for the detection of cancer initiation, progression and organotropic metastatic growth of cancer cells. This review will focus on the recent developments achieved in identifying the role of exosomes in cancer development and progression as well as therapeutic implications. The review will also discuss the pitfalls of methodologies used for the extraction of exosomes.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Arvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA.|Department of Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Vijayalaxmi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA.|Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Sandipto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA.|Department of Pathology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Gargi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maity
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA. sbanerjee@kumc.edu.|Department of Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. sbanerjee@kumc.edu.|Cancer Research Unit, VAMC Cancer Research Center, V.A. Medical Center, Kansas City, 4801 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO, 64128, USA. sbanerjee@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Snigdha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA.|Department of Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Arnab
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA.
authors.forename: LaCoiya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Lane K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Christenson
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: WeiTing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA.|Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroemterology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Unit, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA. sbanerjee2@kumc.edu.|Department of Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. sbanerjee2@kumc.edu.|Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. sbanerjee2@kumc.edu.|Department of Pathology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. sbanerjee2@kumc.edu.|Cancer Research Unit, VAMC Cancer Research Center, V.A. Medical Center, Kansas City, 4801 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO, 64128, USA. sbanerjee2@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Sushanta K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Banerjee
keywords: Cancer; Exosome; Progression and metastasis; Vesicle