bims-exocan 2025-02-16 papers

bims-exocan

Biomed News

on Exosomes roles in cancer

Issue of 2025–02–16
seven papers selected by
Muhammad Rizwan, COMSATS University

Exosomes play a crucial role in remodeling the tumor microenvironment and in the treatment of gastric cancer.
Dynamic and functional analyses of exosomal miRNAs regulating cellular microenvironment of ovarian cancer cells.
Serum exosomal miR-454-3p contributes to malignant progression of lung cancer by inhibiting HHEX.
Pathways and outputs orchestrated in tumor microenvironment cells by hypoxia-induced tumor-derived exosomes in pan-cancer.
Exosomes in the Chemoresistance of Glioma: Key Point in Chemoresistance.
Urine exosomal lncRNAs as novel biomarkers for early diagnosis of bladder cancer based on microarray differential expression profiling.
Investigating the role of exosomal long non-coding RNAs in drug resistance within female reproductive system cancers.

Cell Commun Signal. 2025 Feb 13. 23(1): 82

Exosomes play a crucial role in remodeling the tumor microenvironment and in the treatment of gastric cancer.

Lingyun Tang, Wenjie Zhang, Teng Qi, Zhengting Jiang, Dong Tang.

  Gastric cancer (GC) is a common and frequent malignant cancer of the digestive system with a poor prognosis. In addition to common therapies such as surgical resection and chemotherapy, novel biological interventions are quite valuable for research. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) that originate from various cell types and contain proteins, RNA, DNA, and other components that transmit biological signals and mediate intercellular communication. Numerous studies have shown that exosomes shape the tumor microenvironment (TME) by affecting hypoxia, inflammation, immunity, metabolism, and interstitial changes in the tumor, playing a crucial role in the development and metastasis of GC. This article reviews the important role of exosomes in the TME of GC and explores their potential clinical applications in GC treatment.

Keywords:  Diagnosis; Exosome; Gastric cancer; Treatment; Tumor microenvironment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-024-02009-7
J Ovarian Res. 2025 Feb 10. 18(1): 25

Dynamic and functional analyses of exosomal miRNAs regulating cellular microenvironment of ovarian cancer cells.

Zhaoxia Wang, Yanan Huang, Simin He, Ying Zhou, Le Zhao, Fuyuan Wang.

   BACKGROUND: Exosomes, extracellular vesicles with an average diameter of 30 ~ 150 nm, are pivotal in mediating the cellular microenvironment (CM) through their cargo-carrying capability. Despite extensive studies, the dynamic and regulatory mechanisms of exosomal cargoes, including lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites, remain poorly understood.
METHODS: In this study, we collected culture medium of ovarian cancer cells at four different time points (12, 24, 36, 48 h). Exosomes were isolated using ultracentrifugation, and miRNA sequencing was performed for exosomes from each group (T12, T24, T36, and T48).
RESULTS: A total of 131 miRNAs were identified in all groups. Specifically, 41, 115, 63, and 24 miRNAs were detected in the T12, T24, T36, and T48 groups, respectively. Among these, 15 miRNAs were common to the all groups, while 3, 57, 10, and 3 miRNAs were unique to the T12, T24, T36, and T48 groups, respectively. Functional analyses of the target genes for both common and specific miRNAs indicated that numerous target genes were involved in signaling pathways and cancer-related processes.
CONCLUSION: It suggested that exosomal miRNAs might be critical in intercellular communication and in dynamically remodeling the tumor microenvironment. These insights could enhance our understanding of the role of exosomal miRNAs in cancer biology and inform the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:  Cellular microenvironment; Exsomes; Ovarian cancer; miRNA sequencing; miRNAs

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13048-025-01608-3
Mol Cell Probes. 2025 Feb 08. pii: S0890-8508(25)00012-X. [Epub ahead of print] 102019

Serum exosomal miR-454-3p contributes to malignant progression of lung cancer by inhibiting HHEX.

Gangqin Hu, Peng Cai, Jingjing Li, Liuyang Yu, Bolin Zhao, Guiming Chen.

   BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a common cancer. Exosomes are emerging mediators of intercellular communication, and miRNAs serve a crucial position in cancer progression. This project intends to discover whether exosomal miR-454-3p affects tumor progression and its underlying mechanisms.
METHODS: Exosomes were isolated utilizing ultracentrifugation. The exosomal biomarkers level was monitored by western blot (WB). The miR-454-3p levels were assessed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and HHEX expression were detected by qRT-PCR and WB. Cell growth and metastasis were detected through CCK-8, colony formation assay and transwell. Meanwhile, the dual luciferase reporter system and immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay was applied to clarify the interactions between miR-454-3p and HHEX.
RESULTS: We successfully isolated serum exosomes from NSCLC patients. Then, our team discovered that miR-454-3p was elevated in serum-derived exosomes from NSCLC patients. Functional analysis disclosed that exosomes accelerated NSCLC cell proliferation and metastasis. Silencing of exosomal miR-454-3p hindered NSCLC cell proliferation and metastasis. Subsequently, the starbase database declared that miR-454-3p was interacted with HHEX. HHEX overexpression reversed the promotion of NSCLC cell proliferation and metastasis by exosomal miR-454-3p.
CONCLUSIONS: Exosomal miR-454-3p enhanced the progression of NSCLC cells through HHEX. miR-454-3p may be a therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Keywords:  HHEX; NSCLC; Serum exosomes; malignant progression; miR-454-3p

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcp.2025.102019
Cell Oncol (Dordr). 2025 Feb 10.

Pathways and outputs orchestrated in tumor microenvironment cells by hypoxia-induced tumor-derived exosomes in pan-cancer.

Ozel Capik, Omer Faruk Karatas.

  Hypoxia is a critical microenvironmental condition that plays a major role in driving tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Increasing evidence has revealed novel functions of hypoxia in intercellular communication. The hypoxia induced tumor derived exosomes (hiTDExs) released in high quantities by tumor cells under hypoxia are packed with unique cargoes that are essential for cancer cells' interactions within their microenvironment. These hiTDExs facilitate not only immune evasion but also promote cancer cell growth, survival, angiogenesis, EMT, resistance to therapy, and the metastatic spread of the disease. Nevertheless, direct interventions targeting hypoxia signaling in cancer therapy face challenges related to tumor progression and resistance, limiting their clinical effectiveness. Therefore, deepening our understanding of the molecular processes through which hiTDExs remodels tumors and their microenvironment, as well as how tumor cells adjust to hypoxic conditions, remains essential. This knowledge will pave the way for novel approaches in treating hypoxic tumors. In this review, we discuss recent work revealing the hiTDExs mediated interactions between tumor and its microenvironment. We have described key hiTDExs cargos (lncRNA, circRNAs, cytokines, etc.) and their targets in the receipt cells, responsible for various biological effects. Moreover, we emphasized the importance of hiTDExs as versatile elements of cell communication in the tumor microenvironment. Finally, we highlighted the effects of hiTDExs on the molecular changes in target cells by executing molecular cargo transfer between cells and altering signaling pathways. Currently, hiTDExs show promise in the treatment of diseases. Understanding the molecular processes through which hiTDExs influence tumor behavior and their microenvironment, along with how tumor cells adapt to and survive in low-oxygen conditions, remains a central focus in cancer research, paving the way for innovative strategies in treating hypoxic tumors and enhancing immunotherapy.

Keywords:  Cancer; Exosomes; Hypoxia; Intercellular communication; Tumor microenvironment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s13402-025-01042-z
J Cell Mol Med. 2025 Feb;29(4): e70401

Exosomes in the Chemoresistance of Glioma: Key Point in Chemoresistance.

Xu Guo, Haozhe Piao, Rui Sui.

  Gliomas are the most ordinary primary virulent brain tumours and commonly used clinical treatments include tumour resection, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Although significant progress has been made in recent years in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with high-grade gliomas, the prognosis for patients remains poor. Chemoresistance refers to the phenomenon of decreased sensitivity of tumour cells to drugs, resulting in reduced or ineffective drug efficacy, and is an important cause of failure of tumour chemotherapy. Exosomes, a type of extracellular vesicle, are secreted by cancer cells and various stromal cells in the tumour microenvironment (TME) and transfer their inclusions to cancer cells, increasing chemoresistance. Furthermore, depletion of exosomes reverses certain detrimental effects on tumour metabolism and restores sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. Here, we summarised the correlation between exosomes and resistance to chemotherapeutic agents in glioma patients, the mechanisms of action of exosomes involved in resistance and their clinical value. We aimed to afford new thoughts for research, clinical diagnosis and intervention in the mechanisms of chemoresistance in glioma patients.

Keywords:  chemoresistance; exosomes; glioma; ncRNAs; tumour microenvironment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.70401
Int J Biol Markers. 2025 Feb 13. 3936155251317551

Urine exosomal lncRNAs as novel biomarkers for early diagnosis of bladder cancer based on microarray differential expression profiling.

Jun Li, Liming Zhao, Luning Li, Xiaohua Wang, Yisheng Gao, Yongli Gao, Jinfeng Wang.

   PURPOSE: We aimed to exploit a urine exosomal long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) fingerprint to facilitate the early diagnosis of bladder cancer.
METHODS: Microarray differential expression profiling of lncRNAs was for the first time employed in urine exosomes from 10 non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients and 10 healthy controls to screen out candidate exosomal lncRNA biomarkers, which were then verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in three independent phases including bladder cancer cells, culture fluid and 200 NMIBC participants. Logistic regression was performed to construct a diagnostic model-the diagnostic potency of which was assessed.
RESULTS: The profile of three exosome-derived lncRNAs (CCDC148-AS1, XLOC_006419, and RP5-1148A21.3) was screened and further verified to be notably over-expressed in NMIBC patients and bladder cancer cell lines, and exhibited area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve values of 0.873, 0.825, and 0.834, respectively, in training, validation, and double-blind validation phases. The profile was superior to urinary cytology in discriminating NMIBC from healthy controls (P < 0.0001). A significant correlation existed between a higher level of CCDC148-AS1 and a higher tumor grade (P < 0.001), and up-regulated CCDC148-AS1 as well as XLOC_006419 were statistically related with tumor node metastasis stage (P = 0.004 and P = 0.031, respectively). These three identified lncRNAs were confirmed to originate from bladder cancer cells and be packaged within exosomes, thus staying sufficiently stable in urine.
CONCLUSIONS: Tumor-originated urine exosomal lncRNAs, as fingerprint in NMIBC, exhibited satisfying clinical significance in early diagnosis of bladder cancer.

Keywords:  logistic regression; long non-coding RNA; microarray; non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer; urine exosome

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/03936155251317551
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2025 ;13 1485422

Investigating the role of exosomal long non-coding RNAs in drug resistance within female reproductive system cancers.

Nooshafarin Shirani, Neda Abdi, Matin Chehelgerdi, Hajar Yaghoobi, Mohammad Chehelgerdi.

  Exosomes, as key mediators of intercellular communication, have been increasingly recognized for their role in the oncogenic processes, particularly in facilitating drug resistance. This article delves into the emerging evidence linking exosomal lncRNAs to the modulation of drug resistance mechanisms in cancers such as ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer. It synthesizes current research findings on how these lncRNAs influence cancer cell survival, tumor microenvironment, and chemotherapy efficacy. Additionally, the review highlights potential therapeutic strategies targeting exosomal lncRNAs, proposing a new frontier in overcoming drug resistance. By mapping the interface of exosomal lncRNAs and drug resistance, this article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding that could pave the way for innovative treatments and improved patient outcomes in female reproductive system cancers.

Keywords:  chemotherapy efficacy; drug resistance; exosomes; female reproductive system cancers; long non-coding RNAs; targeted therapies; tumor microenvironment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2025.1485422