fig4

Figure 4. Illustration of a generic mammalian EV exhibiting its structural components. The lipid bilayer comprises diverse lipid species with sphingolipids, such as Hex2Cer, HexCer, SM, and glycosphingolipids like PA, PC, PE, PI, and PS, while enriched in cholesterol. Embedded within the lipid bilayer are various transmembrane proteins, e.g., tetraspanins, integrins, channels/transporters, adhesion proteins, and receptors. Furthermore, the EV encapsulates specific cargo, such as RNA and proteins. Hex2Cer: dihexosylceramide; lactosylceramide; HexCer: hexosylceramide; SM: sphingomyelin; PC: phosphatidylcholine; PI: phosphatidylinositol; PS: phosphatidylserine; PA: phosphatidic acid; PE: phosphatidylethanolamine; MHC: major histocompatibility complex; ICAMs: intercellular adhesion molecules; EPCAMs: epithelial cell adhesion molecule; Alix: apoptosis-linked gene-2-interacting protein X; miRNA: microRNA; snoRNA: small nucleolar RNA; mRNA: messenger RNA; TSG101: tumor susceptibility gene 101; Hsp90: heat shock protein 90; GPDH: glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Adapted from BioRender.com.