Abstract

Biological Functions and Methods of Detection of Large Oncosomes in Cancer

Dolores Di Vizio, Professor, Cedars Sinai Medical Center

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are important mediators of intercellular communication pathways that lead to tumor progression, and potential sources for discovery of novel cancer biomarkers. Recent studies have shed light on the existence of different populations of cancer-derived EVs. These heterogeneous EV populations exhibit distinct molecular cargo, thus pointing to the possibility that the various EV populations might play diverse roles in cancer and that this does not happen randomly. However, data attributing cancer specific intercellular functions to given populations of EVs are still limited. A deeper functional, biochemical and molecular characterization of the various EV classes might identify more selective clinical markers, and significantly advance our knowledge of the pathogenesis and disease progression of many cancer types. We demonstrated that atypically large EVs can be shed from highly migratory and metastatic cancer cells. These EVs, named large oncosomes, play distinct functions and contain a specific repertoire of molecules that can be used for detection of tumor-derived cargo in plasma.