Non-targeted effects of radiation: a personal perspective on the role of exosomes in an evolving paradigm

Abstract

Purpose

Radiation-induced non-targeted effects (NTE) have implications in a variety of areas relevant to radiation biology. Here we evaluate the various cargo associated with exosomal signaling and how they work synergistically to initiate and propagate the non-targeted effects including genomic instability and bystander effects.

Conclusions

Extra cellular vesicles, in particular exosomes, have been shown to carry bystander signals. Exosome cargo may contain nucleic acids, both DNA and RNA, as well as proteins, lipids, and metabolites. These cargo molecules have all been considered as potential mediators of NTE. A review of current literature shows mounting evidence of a role for ionizing radiation in modulating both the numbers of exosomes released from affected cells as well as the content of their cargo, and that these exosomes can instigate functional changes in recipient cells. However, there are significant gaps in our understanding, particularly regarding modified exosome cargo after radiation exposure and the functional changes induced in recipient cells.

Keywords:

• Ionizing radiation
• exosomes
• bystander effects
• genomic instability
• intercellular communication
• extracellular vesicles

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Drs Scott Bright and Ammar Mayah for their help with the figures and Dr Edwin Goodwin for his valuable comments and suggestions on the article.

Disclosure statement

The authors would like to confirm that no relevant review paper is currently under review or in press elsewhere, and also all authors have approved the manuscript and agree to its submission. Additionally, there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The work featured in this article was supported by the HEIF 5 Project Fund from Oxford Brookes University.

Notes on contributors

Munira Kadhim

Munira A. Kadhim, PhD, is a Professor of Radiation Biology and Head of the Genomic Instability and cell communication Research Group in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.

Seda Tuncay Cagatay

Seda Tuncay Cagatay, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.

Eman Mohammed Elbakrawy

Eman Mohammed Elbakrawy, PhD, (previously) Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.