Role of Platelet-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer and Metastasis

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 July 2023) | Viewed by 3859

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences and Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), “G. d’Annunzio” University, School of Medicine, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Interests: platelets; colorectal cancer; metastasis; antiplatelet drugs; aspirin; P2Y12 antagonists; eicosanoids; extracellular vesicles; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs); lipidomics; lipidomics for biomarker development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Interests: vascular biology; pharmacology of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; system pharmacology; genomics; metabolomics; microbiome; RNA-sequencing; atherosclerosis; heart failure; myocardial infarction; thrombosis; platelet aggregation; NSAID-induced enteropathy; aspirin and cancer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “G.d’Annunzio” University, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Interests: platelet; lipoxygenase; aspirin; platelet-derived microparticles; metastasis; cell–cell communication; inflammation; fibrosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Platelets contribute to several types of cancer through many mechanisms. Platelets contain a changing repertoire of proteins and genetic material, including transcripts and microRNAs (i.e., small noncoding RNAs) that act as regulators of gene expression by post-transcriptional mechanisms. Upon platelet activation, biologically active molecules are secreted in a soluble form or packaged into extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs have the peculiarity of interacting with cancer cells to transfer their molecular cargo. Moreover, EVs can activate other cells, including vascular and immune cells and fibroblasts. Hence, platelets are a crucial component of cell–cell communication, promoting tumorigenesis. In particular, their interaction with cancer cells can enhance their malignancy and facilitate the invasion and colonization of distant organs. These findings suggest the use of antiplatelet agents to restrain cancer development and progression. Another peculiarity of platelets is their ability to uptake proteins and transcripts from the circulation. Thus, cancer-patient platelets and platelet-derived EVs show specific proteomic and transcriptomic expression patterns, a phenomenon called tumor-educated platelets (TEPs). The transcriptomic/proteomic profile of platelets and EVs can provide early cancer detection and disease monitoring information.

This topic aims to highlight the latest advances in novel functions of EVs in cancer and metastasis development. Moreover, studies on the development of novel biomarkers based on the analysis of platelets and EVs for the early detection of cancer, as well as those on monitoring the disease and therapeutic efficacy, are of interest. Original research papers and review articles are welcomed.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Paola Patrignani
Dr. Emanuela Ricciotti
Dr. Annalisa Contursi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • extracellular vesicles
  • EVs
  • cancer
  • metastasis
  • platelets
  • antiplatelet drugs
  • lipidomics
  • platelet-derived microparticles
  • nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs)

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 5229 KiB  
Article
Tumor-Educated Platelet Extracellular Vesicles: Proteomic Profiling and Crosstalk with Colorectal Cancer Cells
by Annalisa Contursi, Rosa Fullone, Paulina Szklanna-Koszalinska, Simone Marcone, Paola Lanuti, Francesco Taus, Alessandra Meneguzzi, Giulia Turri, Melania Dovizio, Annalisa Bruno, Corrado Pedrazzani, Stefania Tacconelli, Marco Marchisio, Patrizia Ballerini, Pietro Minuz, Patricia Maguire and Paola Patrignani
Cancers 2023, 15(2), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15020350 - 5 Jan 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3134
Abstract
Background: Platelet–cancer cell interactions modulate tumor metastasis and thrombosis in cancer. Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) can contribute to these outcomes. Methods: We characterized the medium-sized EVs (mEVs) released by thrombin-stimulated platelets of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and healthy subjects (HS) on the capacity [...] Read more.
Background: Platelet–cancer cell interactions modulate tumor metastasis and thrombosis in cancer. Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) can contribute to these outcomes. Methods: We characterized the medium-sized EVs (mEVs) released by thrombin-stimulated platelets of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and healthy subjects (HS) on the capacity to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2(PTGS2), and thromboxane (TX)B2 production in cocultures with four colorectal cancer cell lines. Platelet-derived mEVs were assessed for their size distribution and proteomics signature. Results: The mEV population released from thrombin-activated platelets of CRC patients had a different size distribution vs. HS. Platelet-derived mEVs from CRC patients, but not from HS, upregulated EMT marker genes, such as TWIST1 and VIM, and downregulated CDH1. PTGS2 was also upregulated. In cocultures of platelet-derived mEVs with cancer cells, TXB2 generation was enhanced. The proteomics profile of mEVs released from activated platelets of CRC patients revealed that 119 proteins were downregulated and 89 upregulated vs. HS. Conclusions: We show that mEVs released from thrombin-activated platelets of CRC patients have distinct features (size distribution and proteomics cargo) vs. HS and promote prometastatic and prothrombotic phenotypes in cancer cells. The analysis of platelet-derived mEVs from CRC patients could provide valuable information for developing an appropriate treatment plan. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop