Isolation and characterization of RNA-containing exosomes

C Lässer, M Eldh, J Lötvall - JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), 2012 - jove.com
The field of exosome research is rapidly expanding, with a dramatic increase in publications
in recent years. These small vesicles (30-100 nm) of endocytic origin were first proposed to
function as a way for reticulocytes to eradicate the transferrin receptor while maturing into
erythrocytes1, and were later named exosomes. Exosomes are formed by inward budding of
late endosomes, producing multivesicular bodies (MVBs), and are released into the
environment by fusion of the MVBs with the plasma membrane2. Since the first discovery of …