In Vivo Imaging Reveals Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Phenocopying of Metastatic Behavior
Menée à l'aide de techniques d'imagerie intravitale, cette étude met en évidence des mécanismes par lesquels, lorsque des vésicules extracellulaires comportant des ARNs messagers impliqués dans le processus métastatique sont relâchées par des cellules tumorales, ces vésicules peuvent être capturées par d'autres cellules et leur conférer un comportement métastatique
Most cancer cells release heterogeneous populations of extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. In vitro experiments showed that EV uptake can lead to transfer of functional mRNA and altered cellular behavior. However, similar in vivo experiments remain challenging because cells that take up EVs cannot be discriminated from non-EV-receiving cells. Here, we used the Cre-LoxP system to directly identify tumor cells that take up EVs in vivo. We show that EVs released by malignant tumor cells are taken up by less malignant tumor cells located within the same and within distant tumors and that these EVs carry mRNAs involved in migration and metastasis. By intravital imaging, we show that the less malignant tumor cells that take up EVs display enhanced migratory behavior and metastatic capacity. We postulate that tumor cells locally and systemically share molecules carried by EVs in vivo and that this affects cellular behavior.