Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells release small, phospholipid-enclosed vesicles into
their environment. Why do cells release vesicles? Initial studies showed that eukaryotic
vesicles are used to remove obsolete cellular molecules. Although this release of vesicles is
beneficial to the cell, the vesicles can also be a danger to their environment, for instance in
blood, where vesicles can provide a surface supporting coagulation. Evidence is
accumulating that vesicles are cargo containers used by eukaryotic cells to exchange …