The biology of extracellular microvesicles.

The realization of the significant contributions of extracellular vesicles to normal physiology and diseases, including cancer, has spurred considerable interest in their biology. These membrane vesicles have now emerged as mediators of intercellular communication and as potentially versatile platforms of clinical biomarkers. Here, we focus primarily on the biogenesis, fate and functional cargoes of microvesicles.