Fig. 6. Schematic diagram of the role of exosomal miR-21-5p secreted by CRC in angiogenesis and vascular permeability.
Endothelial cells uptake exosomes secreted by CRC cells, leading to an increase of miR-21-5p expression in recipient cells. Then miR-21-5p directly suppresses KRIT1 expression in recipient endothelial cells, subsequently releases β-catenin from VE-cadherin (a protein mediates adherens junctions of endothelial cells) to nuclear, following by TCF/LEF dependent transcription, consequently induces angiogenesis and vascular permeability in CRC.