Extracellular vesicles and blood diseases

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membrane vesicles released from many different cell types by the exocytic budding of the plasma membrane in response to cellular activation or apoptosis. EVs disseminate various bioactive effectors originating from the parent cells and transfer functional RNA and protein between cells, enabling them to alter vascular function and induce biological responses involved in vascular homeostasis. Although most EVs in human blood originate from platelets, EVs are also released from leukocytes, erythrocytes, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and cancer cells. EVs were initially thought to be small particles with procoagulant activity; however, they can also evoke cellular responses in the immediate microenvironments and transport microRNAs (miRNA) into target cells. In this review, we summarize the recent literature relevant to EVs, including a growing list of clinical disorders that are associated with elevated EV levels. These studies suggest that EVs play roles in various blood diseases.