Membrane microvesicles: Biological properties and involvement in pathogenesis of diseases

Abstract

membrane vesicles, which are released from surface of cells under normal conditions as well as in response to stimulation or destruction of cells (platelets, erythrocytes, leukocytes, endothelial cells, transformed cells, etc.). For a long time it was believed that MV do not play a significant role and were considered to be inert «waste», released by cells during their life, but accumulating evidence indicates the important role of MV in different physiological and pathological processes. To date, the databases PUBMED, OMIM and GENE accumulated a large number of publications devoted to the study of the ability of microvesicles to carry a variety of biologically active substances (lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, etc), the use of microvesicles as diagnostic markers and the influence of membrane microvesicles on the development of various diseases. © Human stem cells institute, 2013.