title: Emerging roles of extracellular vesicles in neurodegenerative disorders: focus on HIV-associated neurological complications.
abstract: Exosomes are membrane-enriched extracellular vesicles with a proposed diameter in the range of 30-100 nm. They are released during both normal homeostasis as well as under pathological conditions by most cell types. In recent years, there has been robust interest in the study of these vesicles as conduits for the delivery of information between cells in both analogous as well as disparate tissues. Their ability to transport specialized cargo including signaling mediators, proteins, messenger RNA and miRNAs characterizes these vesicles as primary facilitators of cell-to-cell communication and regulation. Exosomes have also been demonstrated to have important roles in the field of cancer biology and metastasis. More recently, their role in several neurodegenerative disorders has been gaining increased momentum as these particles have been shown to promote the spread of toxic factors such as amyloid beta and prions, adding further validity to their role as important regulators of disease pathogenesis. This review briefly summarizes current findings and thoughts on exosome biology in the context of neurodegenerative disorders and the manipulation of these particles for the development of potential therapeutic strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Guoku
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mezzacappa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Callen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Howard S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Shilpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buch
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D055354:Exosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D000067128:Extracellular Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000473:pathology*