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Extracellular Vesicles in Microbes, Pathogens and Infectious Diseases: 2nd Edition

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Department of Life Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DA, UK
Interests: protein function and interactions; microbial-host interactions; proteomic technologies; mass spectrometry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of the 2022 Special Issue “Extracellular Vesicles in Microbes, Pathogens and Infectious Diseases”.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized lipid bilayer particles that are naturally released from almost all types of cells. EVs are produced as end products of secretion by both pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms, including archaea, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, as a means for cell-free intercellular communication. Microbial EVs are usually involved in either quorum sensing between the same or different species, or in tuning the microenvironments to benefit the survival of microbes. In pathogenic microorganisms, their EVs modulate the host immune responses to evade elimination from the host.

Infectious diseases are disorders in humans, animals, and plants caused by pathogenic microbes. Microbial EVs, other than facilitating the survival of pathogens in the host and acting as a decoy to antibiotics as a drug resistance mechanism, can also be used for therapeutics and diagnostics for infectious diseases. They can be used as vaccine candidates, drug-targeting and RNAi communication vehicles, as well as biomarkers for disease diagnosis.

This Special Issue of IJMS is focused on extracellular vesicles in microbes, pathogens and infectious diseases. This Special Issue welcomes papers covering microbial EVs’ characterization, quantification, purification, their cargos, and the elucidation of their biogenesis and roles during infections.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Genomics and transcriptomics (including small RNA);
  • Therapeutics and diagnostics in infectious diseases;
  • Immunology;
  • Vaccine candidate;
  • Drug resistance;
  • Drug targeting;
  • Characterization and purifications;
  • Virulence and pathogenesis;
  • Host–pathogen interactions;
  • Cross-species interactions;
  • RNAi-mediated communications;
  • Adaptation to the environment.

Dr. Franklin W.N. Chow
Dr. Russell M. Morphew
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • extracellular vesicles
  • infectious diseases
  • host–pathogen interaction
  • pathogens
  • viruses
  • fungi
  • parasites
  • helminths
  • bacteria
  • animals
  • plants
  • virulence
  • genomics
  • transcriptomics
  • small RNA

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3122 KiB  
Article
Refining Immunogenicity through Intradermal Delivery of Outer Membrane Vesicles against Shigella flexneri in Mice
by Yadira Pastor, Alba Calvo, Josune Salvador-Erro and Carlos Gamazo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(23), 16910; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242316910 - 29 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1214
Abstract
Shigellosis remains a global health concern, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Despite improvements in sanitation, the absence of a licensed vaccine for human use has prompted global health organizations to support the development of a safe and effective multivalent vaccine that is [...] Read more.
Shigellosis remains a global health concern, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Despite improvements in sanitation, the absence of a licensed vaccine for human use has prompted global health organizations to support the development of a safe and effective multivalent vaccine that is cost-effective and accessible for limited-resource regions. Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) have emerged in recent years as an alternative to live attenuated or whole-inactivated vaccines due to their immunogenicity and self-adjuvating properties. Previous works have demonstrated the safety and protective capacity of OMVs against Shigella flexneri infection in mouse models when administered through mucosal or intradermal routes. However, some immunological properties, such as the cellular response or cross-protection among different Shigella strains, remained unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate that intradermal immunization of OMVs with needle-free devices recruits a high number of immune cells in the dermis, leading to a robust cellular response marked by antigen-specific cytokine release and activation of effector CD4 T cells. Additionally, functional antibodies are generated, neutralizing various Shigella serotypes, suggesting cross-protective capacity. These findings highlight the potential of OMVs as a promising vaccine platform against shigellosis and support intradermal administration as a simple and painless vaccination strategy to address this health challenge. Full article
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24 pages, 4783 KiB  
Article
Exosomal MicroRNA and Protein Profiles of Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells
by Valentina K. Todorova, Stephanie D. Byrum, Samuel G. Mackintosh, Azemat Jamshidi-Parsian, Allen J. Gies, Charity L. Washam, Samir V. Jenkins, Timothy Spiva, Emily Bowman, Nathan S. Reyna, Robert J. Griffin and Issam Makhoul
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13098; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713098 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2537
Abstract
Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a main risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Extracellular vesicles, such as exosomes, play an important role in tumor development and metastasis, including regulation of HBV-related HCC. In this study, we have characterized exosome microRNA and [...] Read more.
Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a main risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Extracellular vesicles, such as exosomes, play an important role in tumor development and metastasis, including regulation of HBV-related HCC. In this study, we have characterized exosome microRNA and proteins released in vitro from hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC cell lines SNU-423 and SNU-182 and immortalized normal hepatocyte cell lines (THLE2 and THLE3) using microRNA sequencing and mass spectrometry. Bioinformatics, including functional enrichment and network analysis, combined with survival analysis using data related to HCC in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, were applied to examine the prognostic significance of the results. More than 40 microRNAs and 200 proteins were significantly dysregulated (p < 0.05) in the exosomes released from HCC cells in comparison with the normal liver cells. The functional analysis of the differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs (i.e., mir-483, mir-133a, mir-34a, mir-155, mir-183, mir-182), their predicted targets, and exosomal differentially expressed proteins (i.e., POSTN, STAM, EXOC8, SNX9, COL1A2, IDH1, FN1) showed correlation with pathways associated with HBV, virus activity and invasion, exosome formation and adhesion, and exogenous protein binding. The results from this study may help in our understanding of the role of HBV infection in the development of HCC and in the development of new targets for treatment or non-invasive predictive biomarkers of HCC. Full article
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Review

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21 pages, 978 KiB  
Review
Extracellular Vesicles in Flaviviridae Pathogenesis: Their Roles in Viral Transmission, Immune Evasion, and Inflammation
by Anastasia Latanova, Vadim Karpov and Elizaveta Starodubova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(4), 2144; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25042144 - 10 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1896
Abstract
The members of the Flaviviridae family are becoming an emerging threat for public health, causing an increasing number of infections each year and requiring effective treatment. The consequences of these infections can be severe and include liver inflammation with subsequent carcinogenesis, endothelial damage [...] Read more.
The members of the Flaviviridae family are becoming an emerging threat for public health, causing an increasing number of infections each year and requiring effective treatment. The consequences of these infections can be severe and include liver inflammation with subsequent carcinogenesis, endothelial damage with hemorrhage, neuroinflammation, and, in some cases, death. The mechanisms of Flaviviridae pathogenesis are being actively investigated, but there are still many gaps in their understanding. Extracellular vesicles may play important roles in these mechanisms, and, therefore, this topic deserves detailed research. Recent data have revealed the involvement of extracellular vesicles in steps of Flaviviridae pathogenesis such as transmission, immune evasion, and inflammation, which is critical for disease establishment. This review covers recent papers on the roles of extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis of Flaviviridae and includes examples of clinical applications of the accumulated data. Full article
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