LAUSR

Intercellular communication is key for immune regulation and extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as important mediators of this process. EVs like exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies are membrane-bound vesicles that can be released by both immune and non-immune cells. Although different types of EVs vary greatly in their size (~30 nm to 5 μm in diameter) and mechanism of formation, it is now well-established that the cellular constituents in/on EVs (e.g., antigens, cytokines, membrane proteins, and microRNAs) can regulate a variety of immune responses. Besides mammalian cells, bacteria, fungi, and parasites can also release membrane vesicles to modulate host immune responses. In this research topic, a collection of primary research and review papers explored the immunoregulatory properties of EVs released from immune cells, tumor cells, apoptotic cells as well as pathogens.