Abstract
Eggs, schistosomula and adult Schistosoma worms are known to release extracellular vesicles (EV) during in vitro incubations and these EVs are postulated to affect the host responses. So far only those EVs released during in vitro incubations of schistosomes have been studied and it is unknown whether in blood of infected hosts the schistosomal EVs can be detected amidst all the circulating EVs of the host itself. In this study we analyzed the protein as well as the phospholipid composition of EVs circulating in blood plasma of S. mansoni infected hamsters and compared those with the EVs circulating in blood of non-infected hamsters. Although neither proteins nor lipids specific for schistosomes could be detected in the circulating EVs of the infected hamsters, the infection with schistosomes had a marked effect on the circulating EVs of the host, as the protein as well as the lipid composition of EVs circulating in infected hamsters were different from the EVs of uninfected hamsters. The observed changes in the EV lipid and protein content suggest that more EVs are released by the diseased liver, the affected erythrocytes and activated immune cells.
Highlights
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been defined by the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) as the generic term for particles naturally released from the cell, that are delimited by a lipid bilayer and cannot replicate, i.e. do not contain a functional nucleus [1]
The isolated vesicles range in size from about 50 nm–150 nm, which is in agreement with the reported sizes of EVs released by schistosomes as well as of EVs isolated from plasma [14,15,16,29]
Infection with S. mansoni had an effect on the protein content of the EVs of the host, as remarkable differences in protein composition were observed between the EVs of infected and non-infected hamsters (Fig. 2)
Summary
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been defined by the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) as the generic term for particles naturally released from the cell, that are delimited by a lipid bilayer and cannot replicate, i.e. do not contain a functional nucleus [1]. Three types of EVs can be distinguished, 1) Exosomes are approximately 40−100 nm in diameter and are released by most cell types; they are formed within the endosomal network and their secretion is the result of inward budding and fusion of multi-vesicular bodies with the plasma membrane, 2). Microvesicles/microparticles can be difficult to distinguish from exosomes and can be up to 1 μm. They are formed by outward budding of the plasma membrane, incorporating lipids, proteins and other compounds before budding, 3) Apoptotic bodies are the largest vesicles with a size of 1–5 μm and they are formed as blebs of cells undergoing apoptosis [4].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
