Author:
Perissinotto Fabio,Rondelli Valeria,Senigagliesi Beatrice,Brocca Paola,Almásy László,Bottyan Laszlo,Merkel Dániel Géza,Amenitsch Heinz,Sartori Barbara,Pachler Karin,Mayr Magdalena,Gimona Mario,Rohde Eva,Casalis Loredana,Parisse Pietro
Abstract
AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a potent intercellular communication system. Within a lipid bilayer such small vesicles transport biomolecules between cells and throughout the body, strongly influencing the fate of recipient cells. Due to their specific biological functions they have been proposed as biomarkers for various diseases and as optimal candidates for therapeutic applications. Despite of their extreme biological relevance, the small size (30 to a few hundred nanometers in diameter) of EVs still poses a great challenge for their isolation, quantification and biophysical/biochemical characterization, therefore the complex network of EVs and cells as well as their interaction remains to be further revealed. Here we propose a multiscale platform based on Atomic Force Microscopy, Small Angle X-ray Scattering, Small Angle Neutron Scattering and Neutron Reflectometry to reveal structure-function correlations of purified EVs through the analysis of their interaction with model membrane systems, in form of both supported lipid bilayers and suspended unilamellar vesicles of variably complex composition. The analysis reveals a strong interaction of EVs with the model membranes and preferentially with liquid ordered raft-like lipid domains, and opens the way to understand uptake mechanisms in different vesicle to cell membrane relative compositions.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory