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In the past years, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have become an important field of research since EVs have been found to play a central role in biological processes. In pathogens, EVs are involved in several events during the host–pathogen interaction, including invasion, immunomodulation, and pathology as well as parasite–parasite communication. In this report, we summarised the role of EVs in infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and helminths based on the talks and discussions carried out during the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) workshop held in São Paulo (November, 2016), Brazil, entitled Cross-organism Communication by Extracellular Vesicles: Hosts, Microbes and Parasites.

Abstract Cell culture‐conditioned medium (CCM) is a valuable source of extracellular vesicles (EVs) for basic scientific, therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Cell culturing parameters affect the biochemical composition, release and possibly the function of CCM‐derived EVs (CCM‐EV). The CCM‐EV task force of the Rigor and Standardization Subcommittee of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles aims to identify relevant cell culturing parameters, describe their effects based on current knowledge, recommend reporting parameters and identify outstanding questions. While some recommendations are valid for all cell types, cell‐specific recommendations may need to be established for non‐mammalian sources, such as bacteria, yeast and plant cells. Current progress towards these goals is summarized in this perspective paper, along with a checklist to facilitate transparent reporting of cell culturing parameters to improve the reproducibility of CCM‐EV research.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease for which there is no cure. Accumulating research results suggest a role for extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the pathogenesis of COPD. This study aimed to uncover the involvement of EVs and their molecular cargo in the progression of COPD by identification of EV-associated protein and microRNA (miRNA) profiles. We isolated EVs from the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 18 patients with COPD and 11 healthy controls using size-exclusion chromatography. EV isolates were characterized using nanoparticle tracking analysis and protein content. Proteomic analysis revealed a higher abundance of 284 proteins (log2FC > 1) and a lower abundance of 3 proteins (log2FC < −1) in EVs derived from patients with COPD. Ingenuity pathway analysis showed that proteins enriched in COPD-associated EVs trigger inflammatory responses, including neutrophil degranulation. Variances in surface receptors and ligands associated with COPD EVs suggest a preferential interaction with alveolar cells. Small RNAseq analysis identified a higher abundance of ten miRNAs and a lower abundance of one miRNA in EVs from COPD versus controls (Basemean > 100, FDR < 0.05). Our data indicate that the molecular composition of EVs in the BALF of patients with COPD is altered compared to healthy control EVs. Several components in COPD EVs were identified that may perpetuate inflammation and alveolar tissue destruction.

Abstract Over the last decade, research interest in defining how extracellular vesicles (EVs) shape cross‐species communication has grown rapidly. Parasitic helminths, worm species found in the phyla Nematoda and Platyhelminthes, are well‐recognised manipulators of host immune function and physiology. Emerging evidence supports a role for helminth‐derived EVs in these processes and highlights EVs as an important participant in cross‐phylum communication. While the mammalian EV field is guided by a community‐agreed framework for studying EVs derived from model organisms or cell systems [e.g., Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (MISEV)], the helminth community requires a supplementary set of principles due to the additional challenges that accompany working with such divergent organisms. These challenges include, but are not limited to, generating sufficient quantities of EVs for descriptive or functional studies, defining pan‐helminth EV markers, genetically modifying these organisms, and identifying rigorous methodologies for in vitro and in vivo studies. Here, we outline best practices for those investigating the biology of helminth‐derived EVs to complement the MISEV guidelines. We summarise community‐agreed standards for studying EVs derived from this broad set of non‐model organisms, raise awareness of issues associated with helminth EVs and provide future perspectives for how progress in the field will be achieved.

Bioinformatics tools are imperative for the in depth analysis of heterogeneous high-throughput data. Most of the software tools are developed by specific laboratories or groups or companies wherein they are designed to perform the required analysis for the group. However, such software tools may fail to capture “what the community needs in a tool”. Here, we describe a novel community-driven approach to build a comprehensive functional enrichment analysis tool. Using the existing FunRich tool as a template, we invited researchers to request additional features and/or changes. Remarkably, with the enthusiastic participation of the community, we were able to implement 90% of the requested features. FunRich enables plugin for extracellular vesicles wherein users can download and analyse data from Vesiclepedia database. By involving researchers early through community needs software development, we believe that comprehensive analysis tools can be developed in various scientific disciplines.

Extracellular micro- and nano-scale membrane vesicles produced by different cells are recognised as an essential entity of physiological fluids in a variety of organisms and function as mediators of intercellular communication employed for the regulation of multiple systemic and local processes. In the last decade, an exponential amount of experimental work was dedicated to exploring the biogenesis and secretion mechanisms, physiological and pathological functions and potential applications of the extracellular vesicles (EVs). Noteworthy is the large heterogeneity of in vitro and in vivo models applied, technical approaches developed in these studies and the diversity of designations assigned to different or similar types of EVs. Hence, there is a clear necessity for a uniform nomenclature and standardisation of methods to isolate and characterise these vesicles. In April 2012, the first meeting of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) took place bringing together this exponentially grown scientific community. The University of Gothenburg (Krefting Research Centre) together with the Interim Board of the Society created in September 2011 (Jan Lötvall, Clotilde Théry, Xandra Breakefield, Marca Wauben, Yong Song Gho, Lawrence Rajendran, Graça Raposo, Douglas Taylor, Margareta Sjöstrand and Esbjörn Telemo) organised this fantastic event that counted 488 registered and contributing participants. This meeting report provides a retrospective summary of the broad spectrum of ISEV-2012 sessions. Again, we emphasise novel findings, discussions and decisions met by the community during the meeting.