title: The multifaceted role of extracellular vesicles in metastasis: Priming the soil for seeding.
abstract: Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, play a key role in inter and intracellular communication, promoting the proliferation and invasion of recipient cells to support tumor growth and metastasis. Metastasis comprises multiple steps that first include the detachment of tumor cells through epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), allowing the physical dissemination to distant organs. Thereafter, cancer-derived exosomes are still critical components for preparing the tumor microenvironment by (i) enabling tumor cells to escape from the immunological surveillance and (ii) arranging the pre-metastatic site for the engraftment of detached cancer cells. In this review, we discuss the multifaceted role of EVs in the multiple steps of metastasis. Future research directions draw attention to EVs as biological targets for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. However, due to their significant role in cell communication, they may become a valuable drug delivery system.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor Biomarkers and Osteoimmunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Brunna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dos Anjos Pultz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor Biomarkers and Osteoimmunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Andrés Cordero da Luz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor Biomarkers and Osteoimmunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Socorro Faria
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor Biomarkers and Osteoimmunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leandro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peixoto Ferreira de Souza
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology, Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cristina Brígido Tavares
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology, Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Alonso Goulart
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Protein Chemistry, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wagner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fontes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology, Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.|Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.
authors.forename: Luiz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ricardo Goulart
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor Biomarkers and Osteoimmunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5807-4286
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: José Barbosa Silva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000502:physiology; D055354:Exosomes / Q000473:pathology; D000067128:Extracellular Vesicles / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000502:physiology
keywords: EMT; extracellular vesicles; metastasis; tumor microenvironment