Extracellular vesicle-cell adhesion molecules in tumours: biofunctions and clinical applications

Cell adhesion molecule (CAM) is an umbrella term for several families of molecules, including the cadherin family, integrin family, selectin family, immunoglobulin superfamily, and some currently unclassified adhesion molecules. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important information mediators in cell-to-cell communication. Recent evidence has confirmed that CAMs transported by EVs interact with recipient cells to influence EV distribution in vivo and regulate multiple cellular processes. This review focuses on the loading of CAMs onto EVs, the roles of CAMs in regulating EV distribution, and the known and possible mechanisms of these actions. Moreover, herein, we summarize the impacts of CAMs transported by EVs to the tumour microenvironment (TME) on the malignant behaviour of tumour cells (proliferation, metastasis, immune escape, and so on). In addition, from the standpoint of clinical applications, the significance and challenges of using of EV-CAMs in the diagnosis and therapy of tumours are discussed. Finally, considering recent advances in the understanding of EV-CAMs, we outline significant challenges in this field that require urgent attention to advance research and promote the clinical applications of EV-CAMs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12964-023-01236-8.