progress in this emerging extracellular vesicle biology help us to understand the
complexity of intercellular communication networks, following issues are remaining to be solved in more detail.
First of all, to facilitate the basic EV research and biomedical application of EVs,
it is critical that EVs should be specifically isolated from cellular debris and other
interfering components. The need for standard procedure to purify EVs is widely
recognized, however, ultracentrifugation-based techniques are still employed at
most, although other alternative procedures such as gel filtration, polymer-based
precipitation, and immunoaffinity-based chromatography techniques are currently
developed. Second, to overcome the major drawbacks for clinical use of EVs such
as low production yield and potential toxicity of naturally secreted vesicles,
EV-mimetic nanovesicle technologies should be further developed as novel alternatives to extracellular vesicle-based therapeutics, theranostics, drug delivery, and
vaccines [8, 68–76]. Lastly, EVs are too complex themselves in terms of their
structures, components, and biological functions. Furthermore, single cells produce
several different subtypes of EVs, suggesting that our body and environments are
full of a heterogeneous colloidal solution of complex diverse subtypes of EVs [1].
Thus, a holistic systems biology approach based on the concept of emergent
properties of EVs (Fig. 6.5) is critical to elucidate the complex pathological
functions of EVs, to decode the secrets of life as well as to develop novel EV-based
diagnostics and therapeutics against hard-to-cure diseases [1].
References
1. Y.S. Gho, C. Lee, Emergent properties of extracellular vesicles: a holistic approach to decode
the complexity of intercellular communication networks. Mol. BioSyst. 13(7), 1291–1296
(2017)
2. Y.J. Yoon, O.Y. Kim, Y.S. Gho, Extracellular vesicles as emerging intercellular communicasomes. BMB Rep. 47(10), 531–539 (2014)
3. M. Yanez-Mo, P.R. Siljander, Z. Andreu, A.B. Zavec, F.E. Borras, E.I. Buzas et al.,
Biological properties of extracellular vesicles and their physiological functions. J. Extracell
Vesicles. 4, 27066 (2015)
4. D.S. Choi, D.K. Kim, Y.K. Kim, Y.S. Gho, Proteomics, transcriptomics and lipidomics of
exosomes and ectosomes. Proteomics 13(10–11), 1554–1571 (2013)
5. D.S. Choi, D.K. Kim, Y.K. Kim, Y.S. Gho, Proteomics of extracellular vesicles: exosomes
and ectosomes. Mass Spectrom. Rev. 34(4), 474–490 (2015)
6. E.Y. Lee, D.S. Choi, K.P. Kim, Y.S. Gho, Proteomics in gram-negative bacterial outer
membrane vesicles. Mass Spectrom. Rev. 27(6), 535–555 (2008)
7. J.H. Kim, J. Lee, J. Park, Y.S. Gho, Gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial extracellular
vesicles. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 40, 97–104 (2015)
8. O.Y. Kim, J. Lee, Y.S. Gho, Extracellular vesicle mimetics: novel alternatives to extracellular
vesicle-based theranostics, drug delivery, and vaccines. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 67, 74–82
(2017)
9. D.K. Kim, J. Lee, R.J. Simpson, J. Lotvall, Y.S. Gho, EVpedia: a community web resource
for prokaryotic and eukaryotic extracellular vesicles research. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 40, 4–7
(2015)
136
C. Lee et al.
complexity of intercellular communication networks, following issues are remaining to be solved in more detail.
First of all, to facilitate the basic EV research and biomedical application of EVs,
it is critical that EVs should be specifically isolated from cellular debris and other
interfering components. The need for standard procedure to purify EVs is widely
recognized, however, ultracentrifugation-based techniques are still employed at
most, although other alternative procedures such as gel filtration, polymer-based
precipitation, and immunoaffinity-based chromatography techniques are currently
developed. Second, to overcome the major drawbacks for clinical use of EVs such
as low production yield and potential toxicity of naturally secreted vesicles,
EV-mimetic nanovesicle technologies should be further developed as novel alternatives to extracellular vesicle-based therapeutics, theranostics, drug delivery, and
vaccines [8, 68–76]. Lastly, EVs are too complex themselves in terms of their
structures, components, and biological functions. Furthermore, single cells produce
several different subtypes of EVs, suggesting that our body and environments are
full of a heterogeneous colloidal solution of complex diverse subtypes of EVs [1].
Thus, a holistic systems biology approach based on the concept of emergent
properties of EVs (Fig. 6.5) is critical to elucidate the complex pathological
functions of EVs, to decode the secrets of life as well as to develop novel EV-based
diagnostics and therapeutics against hard-to-cure diseases [1].
References
1. Y.S. Gho, C. Lee, Emergent properties of extracellular vesicles: a holistic approach to decode
the complexity of intercellular communication networks. Mol. BioSyst. 13(7), 1291–1296
(2017)
2. Y.J. Yoon, O.Y. Kim, Y.S. Gho, Extracellular vesicles as emerging intercellular communicasomes. BMB Rep. 47(10), 531–539 (2014)
3. M. Yanez-Mo, P.R. Siljander, Z. Andreu, A.B. Zavec, F.E. Borras, E.I. Buzas et al.,
Biological properties of extracellular vesicles and their physiological functions. J. Extracell
Vesicles. 4, 27066 (2015)
4. D.S. Choi, D.K. Kim, Y.K. Kim, Y.S. Gho, Proteomics, transcriptomics and lipidomics of
exosomes and ectosomes. Proteomics 13(10–11), 1554–1571 (2013)
5. D.S. Choi, D.K. Kim, Y.K. Kim, Y.S. Gho, Proteomics of extracellular vesicles: exosomes
and ectosomes. Mass Spectrom. Rev. 34(4), 474–490 (2015)
6. E.Y. Lee, D.S. Choi, K.P. Kim, Y.S. Gho, Proteomics in gram-negative bacterial outer
membrane vesicles. Mass Spectrom. Rev. 27(6), 535–555 (2008)
7. J.H. Kim, J. Lee, J. Park, Y.S. Gho, Gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial extracellular
vesicles. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 40, 97–104 (2015)
8. O.Y. Kim, J. Lee, Y.S. Gho, Extracellular vesicle mimetics: novel alternatives to extracellular
vesicle-based theranostics, drug delivery, and vaccines. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 67, 74–82
(2017)
9. D.K. Kim, J. Lee, R.J. Simpson, J. Lotvall, Y.S. Gho, EVpedia: a community web resource
for prokaryotic and eukaryotic extracellular vesicles research. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 40, 4–7
(2015)
136
C. Lee et al.