fig4

Figure 4. Blebbing of the plasma membrane causes the formation of microvesicles or medium extracellular vesicles (EVs). Exosomes or small EVs are formed in early endosomes from clathrin-coated vesicles or Golgi apparatus, where budding of the membrane to create intraluminal vesicles results in maturation into a multivesicular endosome (MVE). The MVE either fuses with lysosomes to be degraded or fuses with the plasma membrane to release the intraluminal vesicles as exosomes. Exosomes or small EVs contain a myriad of proteins and molecules, including microRNAs (miRNAs), extracellular matrix components, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), annexins, and several different amyloid proteins. (Created with BioRender.com)