نبذة مختصرة : In bacteria, the active transport of material from the interior to the exterior of the cell, or secretion, represents a very important mechanism of adaptation to the surrounding environment. The secretion of various types of biomolecules is mediated by a series of multiprotein complexes that cross the bacterial membrane(s), each complex dedicated to the secretion of specific substrates. In addition, biological material may also be released from the bacterial cell in the form of vesicles. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are bilayered, nanoscale structures, derived from the bacterial cell envelope, which contain membrane components as well as soluble products. In cyanobacteria, the knowledge regarding EVs is lagging far behind compared to what is known about, for example, other Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we present a summary of the most important findings regarding EVs in Gram-negative bacteria, discussing aspects of their composition, formation processes and biological roles, and highlighting a number of technological applications tested. This lays the groundwork to raise awareness that the release of EVs by cyanobacteria likely represents an important, and yet highly disregarded, survival strategy. Furthermore, we hope to motivate future studies that can further elucidate the role of EVs in cyanobacterial cell biology and physiology. ; This work was financed by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) funds through the COMPETE 2020 Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal, 2020, and by Portuguese funds through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029540 (PTDC/BIA-OUT/29540/2017). Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia is also greatly acknowledged for the PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/130478/2017 (SL) and FCT Investigator grant IF/00256/2015 (PO).
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