Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

IFNγ induces monopoiesis and inhibits neutrophil development during inflammation.

Steady-state hematopoiesis is altered on infection, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving these changes are largely unknown. Modulation of hematopoiesis is essential to increase the output of the appropriate type of effector cell required to combat the invading pathogen. In the present study, we demonstrate that the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFNγ is involved in orchestrating inflammation-induced myelopoiesis. Using both mouse models and in vitro assays, we show that IFNγ induces the differentiation of monocytes over neutrophils at the level of myeloid progenitors. Infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus induces monopoiesis in wild-type mice, but causes increased neutrophil production in IFNγ(-/-) mice. We demonstrate that IFNγ enhances the expression of the monopoiesis-inducing transcription factors IRF8 and PU.1 in myeloid progenitor cells, whereas it reduces G-CSF-driven neutrophil differentiation via a SOCS3-dependent inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation. These results establish a critical role for IFNγ in directing monocyte versus neutrophil development during immune activation