Brainwashed by extracellular vesicles: the role of extracellular vesicles in primary and metastatic brain tumour microenvironment

ABSTRACT

Brain malignancies, including primary and metastatic brain tumours, are often associated with high mortality, reflecting a need for more effective diagnostics and therapeutics. Despite the different cells of origin, primary and metastatic brain tumours share the same microenvironment, which affects the survival mechanisms adopted by these tumours. Elucidating the mechanisms by which primary and metastatic brain tumours interact with the brain microenvironment can uncover potential targets for clinical applications. Extracellular vesicles have been recognized as intercellular communicators that can contribute to cancer progression and have shown promise as potential cancer biomarkers and therapeutics. Here, we outline the contribution of extracellular vesicles in the tumour–microenvironment interactions in primary and metastatic brain tumours with the goal of providing a guide for future translational research in this area.

KEYWORDS:

• Brain tumour
• extracellular vesicles
• tumour microenvironment
• brain metastasis
• exosome
• microvesicle

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Dr. Xandra Breakefield (Massachusetts General Hospital) for providing valuable discussions and suggestions. The authors thank Kristin Johnson of the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital for assistance with the illustrations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Advanced Medical Foundation and NIH R01 CA185530.