Most cells release extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediating intercellular communication via transferring various biomolecules including proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. A subset of EVs is exosomes that promote tumorigenesis. Different tumour cells such as colorectal cancer (CRC) cells produce exosomes that participate in the progression of CRC. Exosomes cargo including proteins and miRNAs not only support proliferation and metastasis of tumour cells but also mediate chemoresistance, immunomodulation and angiogenesis. In addition, as exosomes are present in most body fluids, they can hold the great capacity for clinical usage in early diagnosis and prognosis of CRC. Exosomes from CRC (CRC-Exo) differentially contain proteins and miRNAs that make them a promising candidate for CRC diagnosis by a simple liquid-biopsy. Despite hopeful results, some challanges about exosomes terminology and definition remains to be clarified in further experiments. In addition, there are little clinical trials regarding the application of exosomes in CRC treatment, therefore additional studies are essential focusing on exosome biology and translation of preclinical findings into the clinic. The present study discusses the key role of exosomes in CRC progression and diagnosis. Furthermore, it describes the opportunity and challenges associated with using exosomes as tumour markers.

中文翻译：

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外泌体在结直肠癌中的致瘤和治疗功能：机遇与挑战

大多数细胞通过转移包括蛋白质、核酸和脂质在内的各种生物分子，释放出介导细胞间通讯的细胞外囊泡 (EV)。EV 的一个子集是促进肿瘤发生的外泌体。不同的肿瘤细胞，例如结直肠癌 (CRC) 细胞，会产生参与 CRC 进展的外泌体。包括蛋白质和 miRNA 在内的外泌体货物不仅支持肿瘤细胞的增殖和转移，而且还介导化学抗性、免疫调节和血管生成。此外，由于外泌体存在于大多数体液中，因此它们在CRC的早期诊断和预后中具有很大的临床应用能力。来自 CRC 的外泌体 (CRC-Exo) 含有不同的蛋白质和 miRNA，这使它们成为通过简单的液体活检诊断 CRC 的有希望的候选者。尽管结果充满希望，关于外泌体术语和定义的一些挑战仍有待进一步实验澄清。此外，关于外泌体在 CRC 治疗中的应用的临床试验很少，因此额外的研究非常重要，重点是外泌体生物学和临床前研究结果向临床的转化。本研究讨论了外泌体在 CRC 进展和诊断中的关键作用。此外，它还描述了与使用外泌体作为肿瘤标志物相关的机遇和挑战。本研究讨论了外泌体在 CRC 进展和诊断中的关键作用。此外，它还描述了与使用外泌体作为肿瘤标志物相关的机遇和挑战。本研究讨论了外泌体在 CRC 进展和诊断中的关键作用。此外，它还描述了与使用外泌体作为肿瘤标志物相关的机遇和挑战。