Fig. 1.

The EV landscape at a glance from biogenesis to isolation and characterisation. (a) A schematic representation of the cellular origins of EV sub-populations, their respective classifications based on EV size, and associated markers. Apoptotic bodies are generated by apoptotic blebbing and microvesicles by budding of the plasma membrane. Exosomes are generated from late endosomal MVBs, which fuse with the plasma membrane and release small exosomes. ALIX, ALG-2-interacting protein X; HSP70, heat shock protein 70; TSG101, tumour susceptibility gene 101. (b) The stages of exosome biogenesis. Late endosomes mature into MVBs, which are targeted for degradation or fuse with the plasma membrane to release exosomes. ER, endoplasmic reticulum. (c) The most commonly used techniques for EV isolation from biological fluids: ultracentrifugation, immunoaffinity capture and size-exclusion chromatography. This figure is available as a downloadable slide