fig2

Figure 2. A schematic representation showing biogenesis of major subtypes of EVs. Microvesicles are generated through outward budding of the plasma membrane via ectocytosis while exocytosis releases small and large exosomes. Exosomes originate from the endosomal pathway via MVBs/late endosomes. MVBs are either sorted for lysosomal degradation or leads to the formation of ILVs that are transported to the plasma membrane and released as small/large exosomes. The structure of a typical exosome is schematically represented. In addition, exomeres or supermeres are released as non-membranous particles (< 50 nm) containing nucleic acids, lipids and proteins. Created in BioRender. Saini, S. (2026) https://BioRender.com/vr7efu4. EVs: Extracellular vesicles; ILV: intraluminal vesicle; MVB: multivesicular body; MVE: multivesicular endosome; EE: early endosome; Rab27A: Ras-related protein Rab-27A.