REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Microbial Immunology
This article is part of the Research TopicRole of Extracellular Vesicles in InflammationView all 15 articles
Bacterial EVs contain small RNAs and transfer RNAs that regulate inflammation in lung infections
Provisionally accepted
- Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States
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This review examines the role of bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) in shaping interactions between bacteria and their human hosts. Produced by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria during infections, BEVs play a pivotal role in host–pathogen dynamics without necessitating direct cell-to-cell contact. The article explores how BEVs engage with host cells, transporting short interfering RNAs (sRNAs) and transfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) to host cells and modulate the immune response by influencing key signaling pathways in diseases such as cystic fibrosis. The article particularly focuses on how BEVs contribute to biofilms and chronic infections through epigenetic modifications that alter immune responses in lung epithelial and immune cells. Additionally, the review identifies gaps in current knowledge and suggests directions for future research on BEVs.
Keywords: Bacterial extracellular vesicles, Biofilms, epigenetics, Inflammation, Lung, outer membrane vesicles, sRNA, tRFs
Received: 31 Jul 2025; Accepted: 04 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Charpentier and Stanton. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lily A Charpentier
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.