Foresight on nanovesicles in plant-pathogen interactions

Secretion of nanovesicles is a conserved mechanism to transfer biological material between organisms. Nanovesicles have been classified in three main groups; exosomes (with a diameter ranging between 50 nm and 120 nm), microvesicles (100-1000 nm) and apoptotic bodies (50-5000 nm). Although all these vesicles can impact on the host immunity, they have a very different protein composition and biogenesis. We will focus on the exosome-host interaction and on how exosomes can modulate the host immunity. Exosomes have been extensively studied in animal cells and public databases are available describing the enormous biological complexity. Since they can shuttle biological macromolecules, we will also delineate the role of small-RNAs packed into exosomes and their proposed role in regulating immunity. We will conclude suggesting possible biotechnological applications of exosomes/nanovesicles in plant protection.