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Raposo et al. Extracell Vesicles Circ Nucleic Acids 2023;4:240-54 Extracellular Vesicles and
DOI: 10.20517/evcna.2023.18
Circulating Nucleic Acids

Review Open Access

Extracellular vesicles - on the cusp of a new
language in the biological sciences

1
Graca Raposo , Philip D. Stahl 2
1
Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR144, Structure and Membrane Compartments, Paris 75005, France.
2
Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Correspondence to: Dr. Graca Raposo, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR144, Structure and Membrane
Compartments, Paris 75005, France. E-mail: graca.raposo@curie.fr; Prof. Philip.D Stahl, Professor Emeritus, Department of Cell
Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. E-mail: pstahl@wustl.edu

How to cite this article: Raposo G, Stahl PD. Extracellular vesicles - on the cusp of a new language in the biological sciences.
Extracell Vesicles Circ Nucleic Acids 2023;4:240-54. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/evcna.2023.18

Received: 22 Mar 2023 First Decision: 20 April 2023 Revised: 19 May 2023 Accepted: 25 May 2023 Published: 31 May 2023

Academic Editors: Yoke Peng Loh Copy Editor: Yanbing Bai Production Editor: Yanbing Bai

Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a key role both in physiological balance and homeostasis and in disease processes
through their ability to participate in intercellular signaling and communication. An ever-expanding knowledge pool
and a myriad of functional properties ascribed to EVs point to a new language of communication in biological
systems that has opened a path for the discovery and implementation of novel diagnostic applications. EVs
originate in the endosomal network and via non-random shedding from the plasma membrane by mechanisms that
allow the packaging of functional cargoes, including proteins, lipids, and genetic materials. Deciphering the
molecular mechanisms that govern packaging, secretion and targeted delivery of extracellular vesicle-borne cargo
will be required to establish EVs as important signaling entities, especially when ascribing functional properties to a
heterogeneous population of vesicles. Several molecular cascades operate within the endosomal network and at
the plasma membrane that recognize and segregate cargos as a prelude to vesicle budding and release. EVs are
transferred between cells and operate as vehicles in biological fluids within tissues and within the
microenvironment where they are responsible for short- and long-range targeted information. In this review, we
focus on the remarkable capacity of EVs to establish a dialogue between cells and within tissues, often operating in
parallel to the endocrine system, we highlight selected examples of past and recent studies on the functions of EVs
in health and disease.

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.

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