Calcifying Extracellular Vesicles: Biology, Characterization, and Mineral Formation
Book Chapter
Ng, HH, Molina, JE, Hutcheson, JD. (2020). Calcifying Extracellular Vesicles: Biology, Characterization, and Mineral Formation
. Part F10179 97-116. 10.1007/978-3-030-46725-8_5
Ng, HH, Molina, JE, Hutcheson, JD. (2020). Calcifying Extracellular Vesicles: Biology, Characterization, and Mineral Formation
. Part F10179 97-116. 10.1007/978-3-030-46725-8_5
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed organelles that serve as biological messengers that mediate cell-cell communication and have been implicated in disease progression. EVs are secreted by various cell types and can be assayed from tissue, cell culture media, and biological fluids collected from animals and human subjects. A special subtype of EVs known as matrix vesicles has been studied as nucleating sites for mineralization in skeletal tissues. More recently, studies have found that EVs derived from calcified vascular tissues have similar properties to matrix vesicles released within bone. This opens up novel avenues for a deeper mechanistic understanding and characterization of vascular calcification through analysis of these EVs. However, these analyses are limited by the small size and extremely complex and heterogeneous nature of the vesicles. The advent of new technologies, many of which were originally developed for analysis of synthetic nanoparticles, has provided new insight into EV properties and function. This chapter focuses on the characterization of EV properties demonstrated by various physical, structural, and biomolecular analyses that have allowed for a more comprehensive description of the initiation of calcification. We will begin by briefly reviewing the properties of calcifying EVs that promote mineralization, followed by a focus on the current discussion on commonly utilized and emerging techniques to measure EV properties. We outline several methodologies and detail the advantages and limitations of each technique, along with possible solutions.
