Role of the Extracellular Vesicles in Obesity and Related Diseases
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 46519
Special Issue Editors
Interests: Obesity, adipose tissue, type 2 diabetes, adipokines, proteomics, secretomes, extracellular vesicles, biomarkers
Interests: Biomarkers, genetics, genomics, epigenetics, non-coding RNAs, adipocytes, hepatocytes, adipose tissue, liver, metabolism, fatty acid homeostasis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In the last decade, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have arisen as a complex and very specialized mechanism for cell-to-cell crosstalk at the local (autocrine and paracrine signal) and distant level (endocrine system of communication). EVs comprise spherical lipovesicles, namely exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies of diverse sizes (up to 1,000 nm) and different origins, released by multiple cells responding to stimuli. EVs can be found in body fluids and in cell culture media, and enclose membrane and cytosolic components, such as proteins, lipids and many RNAs, including microRNAs and other non-coding RNA species with regulatory properties. This composition is conditioned by the site of biogenesis and the physiological response of cells, which may spread the signal along body tissues through this fine-tuned system of communication. In particular, exosomes have been recently rediscovered due to its ability as a sophisticated intercellular communicating system that implies interaction and fusion to liberate their molecular content in the cytoplasm of hosting cells. Then, exosomes impact commitment of target cells, inducing significant changes that may lead their contribution in different physiological processes. Also of key interest, since these vesicles and their molecular cargo may mirror physio-pathological conditions, EVs and their content have arisen as potential biomarkers of diagnosis and prognosis value. All these attributes have generated great expectations around EVs, making the study of these vehicles a hot topic in many fields of research.
Nowadays, the role of EVs on cell communication relevant to the development of metabolic diseases is still poorly known. There is increasing evidence regarding the implication of circulating EVs in obesity-associated metabolic deregulation. Indeed, EVs shed by an hyperplasic adipose tissue have been demonstrated to be involved in adipocyte/macrophage crosstalk, and also to impact insulin signalling and gene expression in muscle and liver, contributing to the development of metabolic disturbances related to obesity. In addition, the synthesis and release of microRNAs loaded in EVs by adipocytes and activated macrophages found in obese fat depots make them attractive candidate biomarkers for obesity and associated diseases.
We invite researchers to contribute either with original research or review articles focusing on every aspect regarding the role and function of EVs shed by adipose tissue in healthy and pathological conditions including the onset and progression of obesity and its comorbidities.
Dr. María Pardo Pérez
Dr. Francisco Jose Ortega
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- Extracellular vesicles
- Exosomes
- miRNA
- Adipose tissue
- Obesity
- Cell communication
- Biomarkers
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
