Extracellular Vesicles: Novel Mediators of Cell Communication In Metabolic Disease.
Metabolic homeostasis emerges from the complex, multidirectional crosstalk between key metabolic tissues including adipose tissue, liver, and skeletal muscle. This crosstalk, traditionally mediated by hormones and metabolites, becomes dysregulated in human diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Extracellular vesicles (EVs; including exosomes) are circulating, cell-derived nanoparticles containing proteins and nucleic acids that interact with and modify local and distant cellular targets. Accumulating evidence, reviewed herein, supports a role for extracellular vesicles in obesity-associated metabolic disturbance, particularly the local and systemic inflammation characteristic of adipose and hepatic stress. As the practical and conceptual challenges facing the field are tackled, this emerging and versatile mode of intercellular communication may afford valuable insights and therapeutic opportunities in combatting these major threats to modern human health.
University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK. Electronic address: ih240@cam.ac.uk.
Isabel
I
Huang-Doran
State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210046 China.
Chen-Yu
CY
Zhang
University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK. Electronic address: ajv22@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
Antonio
A
Vidal-Puig
D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D055354:Exosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism
D035683:MicroRNAs
diabetes; exosome; miRNA; nanoparticle; obesity