0000000001053605
AUTHOR
Chiara Favero
Plasmatic extracellular vesicle microRNAs in malignant pleural mesothelioma and asbestos-exposed subjects suggest a 2-miRNA signature as potential biomarker of disease.
Background Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer mainly caused by asbestos exposure and refractory to current therapies. Specific diagnostic markers for early MPM diagnosis are needed. Changes in miRNA expression have been implicated in several diseases and cancers, including MPM. We examined if a specific miRNA signature in plasmatic extracellular vesicles (EV) may help to discriminate between malignant pleural mesothelioma patients (MPM) and subjects with Past Asbestos Exposure (PAE). Methodology/Principal findings We investigated 23 MPM patients and 19 cancer-free subjects with past asbestos exposure (PAE). We screened 754 miRNAs in plasmatic EVs by OpenArray and f…
PCSK9 Confers Inflammatory Properties to Extracellular Vesicles Released by Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are key participants in both early- and late-stage atherosclerosis and influence neighbouring cells possibly by means of bioactive molecules, some of which are packed into extracellular vesicles (EVs). Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is expressed and secreted by VSMCs. This study aimed to unravel the role of PCSK9 on VSMCs-derived EVs in terms of content and functionality. EVs were isolated from human VSMCs overexpressing human PCSK9 (VSMCPCSK9-EVs) and tested on endothelial cells, monocytes, macrophages and in a model of zebrafish embryos. Compared to EVs released from wild-type VSMCs, VSMCPCSK9-EVs caused a rise in the expression …