Figure 3.

The potential role of PCaDEPrs in cancer. Exosomes originating from the tumor cell play a crucial role in tumor development. During tumor initiation, they mediate apoptosis, lipid metabolism, TME, and tumorigenic signaling, and also interfere with the cell cycle to induce cancer development. During tumor survival and progression, they regulate remodeling the tumor microenvironment, hormonal regulation and metabolic alterations, as well as lysosomal function and distribution, and inhibition of cancer cell apoptosis. During tumor metastasis, PCaDEPrs can contribute to EMT transformation, trigger microenvironment alteration, and establishment of a pre-metastatic ecological niche. Finally, they can also regulate tumor resistance to chemotherapeutic agents.