Role of T cell-derived exosomes in immunoregulation

• Published in: Immunologic research Vol. 66; no. 3; pp. 313 - 322
• Main Authors: Lu, Jian, Wu, Jing, Tian, Jie, Wang, Shengjun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Allergology; Antigen presentation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell Communication - immunology; Cell signaling; Communication; Dendritic Cells - immunology; Dendritic Cells - metabolism; Disease Progression; Exosomes; Exosomes - immunology; Exosomes - metabolism; Humans; Humoral immunity; Immune system; Immune System - immunology; Immunology; Immunoregulation; Internal Medicine; Laboratories; Lipid bilayers; Lipids; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Medicine; Medicine/Public Health; Membrane proteins; Membrane vesicles; Models, Immunological; Neoplasms - immunology; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neoplasms - pathology; Proteins; Review; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Roles; Signal transduction; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; T cells; Exosomes; Immune regulation
• ISSN: 0257-277X; 1559-0755; 1559-0755
• DOI: 10.1007/s12026-018-9000-0

Exosomes are small membrane vesicles of endocytic origin that are secreted by most cells. They are composed of a lipid bilayer containing transmembrane proteins and enclosing cytosolic proteins and RNA, mediating intercellular communication between different cell types in the body, and thus influencing various physiological and pathological functions of both recipient and parent cells. For their nanolevel structures with a stable nature and various biological functions, studies of exosomes have been the subject of increasing interest in the past few years. It is widely known that different T cell subsets play important roles in cellular and humoral immunity, and their exosomes were also reported to exert similar biological functions. While several groups reported the secretion of exosomes by various T cells, the systematic summary involved in these exosomes are deficient. In this review, we will summarize the structure and functions of exosomes derived from T cells in recent reports, discuss emerging therapeutic opportunities, and consider the associated challenges.