Tumor- and Immune Cell-Derived Exosomes

Abstract

There are a few reports about the role of exosomes released from anti-tumor immune cells including T cells, NK cells, DCs or macrophages. On the other hand, it has been clarified that tumor cell-derived exosomes play a crucial role in the formation of tumor microenvironment and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumors by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) under the effect of exosomal microRNAs (miRs) and proteins. In addition, tumor-derived exosomes have been reported to attenuate tumoricidal immune responses. In this review, we describe the possibility of exosome-based tumor immunotherapy followed by understanding biological significances of immune cell- and tumor cell-derived exosomes.