Potential Roles of Exosomes in the Development and Detection of Malignant Mesothelioma: An Update

Our plain-English summary of Potential Roles of Exosomes in the Development and Detection of Malignant Mesothelioma: An Update, by P. Munson, A. Shukla (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022).

The study

• Authors: P. Munson, A. Shukla
• Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Published: 2022;23(23)
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a devastating cancer of mesothelial cells, caused by asbestos exposure. Limited knowledge regarding the detection of asbestos exposure and the early diagnosis of MM, as well as a lack of successful treatment options for this deadly cancer, project an immediate need to understand the mechanism(s) of MM development. With the recent discovery of nano-vesicles, namely exosomes, and their enormous potential to contain signature molecules representative of different diseases, as well as to communicate with distant targets, we were encouraged to explore their role(s) in MM biology. In this review, we summarize what we know so far about exosomes and MM based on our own studies and on published literature from other groups in the field. We expect that the information contained in this review will help advance the field of MM forward by revealing the mechanisms of MM development and survival. Based on this knowledge, future therapeutic strategies for MM can potentially be developed. We also hope that the outcome of our studies presented here may help in the detection of MM.

In plain English

This article was a review by two authors at the University of Vermont. It covered research on exosomes (tiny membrane-bound sacs that cells release) and malignant mesothelioma (MM). It summarized published studies from other groups, using human pleural effusions, MM cell lines, mice and small patient groups, along with the authors' own earlier laboratory work. The review reported the authors' 2018 cell study, in which lung epithelial cells and macrophages were cultured with asbestos. Exosomes from these cells carried proteins in different amounts from control exosomes, and they changed gene expression in primary human mesothelial cells. Mesothelial cells given exosomes from asbestos-exposed macrophages showed 498 gene changes. In the authors' mouse study, serum exosomes collected 56 days after asbestos exposure contained 376 quantifiable proteins, most of them more abundant in the exposed mice. The review also described unpublished human plasma data, which the authors planned to repeat in a larger sample. The authors concluded that the reviewed studies provide an initial framework for understanding possible biomarkers and the biology of MM and asbestos exposure. They noted that exosome research still faces challenges, including how exosomes are isolated.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative review of published studies on exosomes and malignant mesothelioma, including the authors' own earlier studies and some unpublished data
• Who was studied: No single study population. The reviewed studies used human pleural effusions, human MM cell lines, primary mesothelial cells, lung epithelial cells and macrophages exposed to asbestos, asbestos-exposed mice, and small groups of MM patients and asbestos-exposed people.
• Exposure: Asbestos (fiber type not specified in the text) applied to cultured lung epithelial cells and macrophages in the authors' own studies, and given to mice by oropharyngeal aspiration; exosomes released by these cells and by MM cells
• Main results:
  • Authors' 2018 cell study as reviewed: 145 proteins were identified in exosomes from lung epithelial cells, and 55 differed significantly in abundance in the asbestos-exposed group
  • Authors' 2018 cell study as reviewed: primary mesothelial cells exposed to exosomes from asbestos-exposed macrophages showed 498 gene changes, 241 up and 257 down
  • Authors' mouse study as reviewed: serum exosomes from C57/Bl6 mice 56 days after asbestos exposure contained 376 quantifiable proteins, most more abundant in the asbestos-exposed group
  • Authors' 2019 study as reviewed: exosomes released by mesothelioma cells had significantly increased miR-16-5p compared with those from healthy mesothelial cells
  • Another group's study (Cavalleri et al., 2017), as described by the review: an exosomal microRNA signature was suggested to discriminate malignant pleural mesothelioma from past asbestos exposure subjects, in a small number of subjects
  • Authors' unpublished data: plasma exosomes from the disease groups (mesothelioma and asbestos-exposed) contained coagulation-related proteins compared with controls
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the reviewed studies provide an initial framework for understanding possible biomarkers and the biology of MM and asbestos exposure.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors' plasma exosome findings are unpublished and still need to be repeated with a larger sample
  • The authors' cell-culture findings had not yet been verified in living systems
  • Research on the role of exosomes in MM development or early diagnosis is limited
  • The exosome field faces challenges, including isolation methods, understanding how exosomes form, and characterizing their contents

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer, Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Malignant Mesothelioma, Mesothelial Cells, Asbestos Exposure, Discovery.

Related studies

• Exosomes from asbestos-exposed cells modulate gene expression in mesothelial cells — P. Munson, Y.W. Lam, et al. (2018)
• Secreted primary human malignant mesothelioma exosome signature reflects oncogenic cargo — D.W. Greening, H. Ji, et al. (2016)
• Mouse serum exosomal proteomic signature in response to asbestos exposure — P. Munson, Y.W. Lam, et al. (2018)
• Exosomal miR-16-5p as a target for malignant mesothelioma — P.B. Munson, E.M. Hall, et al. (2019)
• Extracellular vesicles as biomarkers in malignant pleural mesothelioma: A review — T. Ahmadzada, S. Kao, et al. (2020)
• Lung cancer: prevention and detection update — L.M. Potanovich (1993)

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