Extracellular vesicles (exosomes) in prokaryotic organisms: role in their biology and realization of their pathogen potential
An increasing number of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria have been observed to secrete outer- membrane vesicles (OMVs) during their growth both under physiological and pathological conditions in vitro and in vivo. These cell-derived particles are present in many — if not all — physiological fluids. They can convey the multiple various low weight effector and signal molecules (proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates) into the bacterial and host cells that have important functions in their intercellular communication and regulation. Involvement of OMVS in the various biological functions of prokariotic and eukaryotic cells make them to be key players in both physiological processes and also in pathological conditions. Additionally, the ability of OMVs to deliver molecules to recipient cell opens the possibility of their use as novel disease biomarkers and as promising drug/therapy agents. In this Review, we describe the mechanisms through which bacterial OMVs can support the host homeostasis and health and induce host pathology or immune tolerance, and discuss the possibility of these OMVs participate in innovative nanobiotechnologies.