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Extracellular vesicles encompass particles of different sizes, primarily exosomes (< 100 nm), which are
formed through a three-step process (invagination of the plasma membrane producing endocytic vesicles, inward budding of the endosomal membrane giving rise to multivesicular bodies and fusion of these bodies with the plasma membrane), and shedding microvesicles (up to 300 nm) which originate from the outward budding of cytoplasmic protrusions. They cargo a wide array of biomolecules, including microRNAs, proteins (more than 4000 different proteins and 700 different RNAs have been described so far), lipids and genetic material that they can horizontally transfer to target cells, thereby activating cytoprotective pathways as exemplified by the ability of cardiosphere-derived extracellular membrane vesicles to alter the phenotype of fibroblasts and endow them with angiogenic and cardioprotective properties |
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