The Hidden Language of Extracellular miRNAs in Immune Regulation. (IMAGE)
Caption
This schematic summarizes the “hidden language” of extracellular miRNAs in orchestrating bidirectional immune communication across multiple scales. The central blue circle represents the host immune network, in which innate and adaptive immune cells—including dendritic cells, B cells, CD4⁺ T cells, Tfh cells, Tregs, NK cells, and macrophages—exchange EV-associated miRNAs to fine-tune inflammation, tolerance, effector functions, and memory formation. The surrounding panels illustrate key crosstalks: the upper-left pink panel depicts pathogen-to-host manipulation (“non-self”); the upper-right beige panel shows tumor-to-host reprogramming (“aberrant self”); the lower-left green panel highlights gut microbiome–host crosstalk; and the lower-right purple panel presents trained immunity and inflammaging. Solid arrows indicate EV-mediated miRNA transfer, whereas dashed arrows represent non-vesicular miRNA actions (e.g., acting as TLR ligands) or modulation by microbial metabolites. This figure was created with BioRender (biorender.com)
Credit
Professor Chen-Yu Zhang from Nanjing University, China; and Professor Xi Chen from Nanjing University, China Image source link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44466-026-00042-4
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License
CC BY