Figure 2.

Size classes of extracellular vesicles.

Exosomes are formed through inward membrane budding, leading to formation of 40–100 nm intracellular vesicles which accumulate within multivesicular bodies that are subsequently released to the extracellular milieu. Apoptotic bodies may contain DNA and/or organelles and are formed during the late stages of apoptosis, after cell shrinkage. Microparticles are formed from the outward blebbing of membrane and released into the extracellular space. (Adapted with permission from Burger et al., 2013³).