AUTHOR=Xu Dongjie , Di Kaili , Fan Boyue , Wu Jie , Gu Xinrui , Sun Yifan , Khan Adeel , Li Peng , Li Zhiyang 

TITLE=MicroRNAs in extracellular vesicles: Sorting mechanisms, diagnostic value, isolation, and detection technology

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.948959

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2022.948959

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs, with a length of about 18-22 nucleotides. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are derived from cells and play a vital role in development of diseases and can be used as biomarkers for liquid biopsy, as they are the carriers of miRNA. Existing studies have found that, most of the functions of miRNA are mainly realized through intercellular transmission of EVs, which can protect and sort miRNAs. Meanwhile, detection sensitivity and specificity of EVs-derived miRNA are higher than those of conventional serum biomarkers. In recent years, the EVs are expected to become a new marker for liquid biopsy. This review summarizes recent progress in several aspects of EVs, including sorting mechanisms, diagnostic value, and the technology for isolation of EVs and detection of EVs-derived miRNAs. In addition, the manuscript reviews challenges and future research avenues in the field of EVs, providing a basis for application of EVs-derived miRNA as a disease marker to be used in clinical diagnosis and even for development of point-of-care testing (POCT) platforms.