Aragonese research reveals a new communication mechanism between brain tumor cells through “spherosomes”

Tumor cells communicate with each other and with their environment, modifying it to promote their growth and malignancy. There are many communications that range from simple molecules, such as growth factors, to vesicles that are small bags full of information. There are many types of vesicles, but their origin within the cell and how they are transported is not always clear.

The magazine Scientific Reports includes a pioneering study carried out by Researchers from the Aragón Health Research Institute and the University of Zaragoza focused on low-grade brain tumors. The team, led by Dr. Concha Junquera, Professor of Biology at the University of Zaragoza and researcher at IIS Aragón, using electron microscopy has identified that low-grade gliomas use vesicles known as spherosomes. “These spherosomes are produced in tumor cells and are released into the extracellular environment to transport information to neighboring cells or to other distant cells through the vessels,” says Dr. Junquera.

The most studied extracellular vesicles are exosomes. However, this team has found that other vesicles, spherosomes are more common in these brain tumors. The team has described in great detail the origin of these spherosomes and how they are produced, finding that it is very different from exosomes. “Spherosomes have a different origin and biogenesis than the exosomes found in other tumors and presumably carry different molecules, that is, different content or information, which suggests that they play different functions in the progression of these brain tumors” -explains Marta Baselga, first signatory of the work.

This study also revealed the presence of a cellular structure, the primary cilium, in low-grade gliomas. This structure functions as an antenna and plays an important role in the detection and transmission of oncogenic signals, making it a promising therapeutic target.

This work has been possible thanks to the support from the General Research Support Service of the University of Zaragoza and is financed by the XIII FERO Scholarship, priority line and multidisciplinary projects of the Government of Aragon and by the Association of Parents of Children with Cancer of Aragon (ASPANOA).

Article citation: Spheresomes are the main extracellular vesicles in low-grade gliomas. Baselga M, Iruzubieta P, Castiella T, Monzón M, Monleón E, Berga C, Schuhmacher AJ, Junquera C.Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 10;13(1):11180. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38084-y.PMID: 37430101