# Exosome Trafficking and Tumor Cell Invasion

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $347,532

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
Exosomes are secreted extracellular vesicles that contain bioactive molecules such as proteins
and microRNAs. The exosomes have recently drawn considerable interest as they are implicated
in many pathophysiological processes such as neurodegeneration, viral propagation, and tumor
invasion. Despite the great interests in the medical fields, the basic cell biological understanding
of the exosomes is disproportionally lacking. The exosomes are generated when the limiting
membranes of endosomes invaginate toward the lumen to form multivesicular bodies (MVBs).
The Endosomal Sorting Complex Responsible for Transport (ESCRT) mediates the biogenesis of
the exosomes. However, how the exosomes are delivered to the plasma membrane for their
release remains elusive. The exocyst is an octameric protein complex consisting of Sec3, Sec5,
Sec6, Sec8, Sec10, Sec15, Exo70, and Exo84. The exocyst is thought to mediate the trafficking
of protein and lipid cargos from intracellular compartments to the plasma membrane. Our
preliminary data revealed that the exocyst directly interacts with the ESCRT and inhibition of the
exocyst in cells block exosome secretion. In this proposal, we will first study the molecular
mechanisms by which the biogenesis and release of exosomes is coordinated by different
members of the exocyst complex. Second, we will investigate how the secretion of exosomes is
regulated during tumor cell invasion; a molecular pathway by which oncogenic Akt promotes
exosome secretion through the activation of Rab GTPase will be delineated. Our study will
contribute to the understanding of the basic biology of exosomes, and shed light to the
mechanisms of tumor cell invasion.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9915934
- **Project number:** 5R01GM085146-12
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** WEI GUO
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $347,532
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2009-06-01 → 2021-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9915934

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9915934, Exosome Trafficking and Tumor Cell Invasion (5R01GM085146-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9915934. Licensed CC0.

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