Proteomic analysis of extracellular vesicles shed in vitro by MDA MB 231 breast carcinoma cells

Cross talk between tumor cells and connective tissue plays a key role in tumor progression. The communication is due to the release of signalling molecules from both tumor cells and surrounding stromal cells. Several secreted proteins lack the N-terminal signal peptides and, therefore, they are secreted by alternative unconventional processes such as secretion mechanism mediated by vesicle shedding in the extracellular matrix. Actually, a certain number of proteins, playing roles in some aspects of tumor progression, have been found in shed vesicles. For example, EMMPRIN, carried out in vesicles shed by tumor cells, stimulates matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production in stromal fibroblasts…