Extracellular Vesicles as Regulators of the Extracellular Matrix

Neil J Patel; Anisa Ashraf; Eun Ji Chung

doi:10.3390/bioengineering10020136

Extracellular Vesicles as Regulators of the Extracellular Matrix

Bioengineering (Basel). 2023 Jan 19;10(2):136. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering10020136.

Authors

Neil J Patel¹, Anisa Ashraf¹, Eun Ji Chung^{1

2

3

4

5

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Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
² Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
³ Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
⁴ Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
⁵ Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
⁶ Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membrane-bound vesicles secreted into the extracellular space by all cell types. EVs transfer their cargo which includes nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids to facilitate cell-to-cell communication. As EVs are released and move from parent to recipient cell, EVs interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM) which acts as a physical scaffold for the organization and function of cells. Recent work has shown that EVs can modulate and act as regulators of the ECM. This review will first discuss EV biogenesis and the mechanism by which EVs are transported through the ECM. Additionally, we discuss how EVs contribute as structural components of the matrix and as components that aid in the degradation of the ECM. Lastly, the role of EVs in influencing recipient cells to remodel the ECM in both pathological and therapeutic contexts is examined.

Keywords: calcification; extracellular matrix; extracellular vesicles; tissue repair; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

DMR 2132744/National Science Foundation