Introduction to Online Nucleic Acid Databases for EV Research

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), a type of lipid membrane-coated vesicles, contain proteins, DNA, RNAs, and lipids and are categorized into three main subclasses: exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies. These EVs participate in cell-cell communication and regulate the extracellular environment. With the expansion of studies on the functions and regulations of EVs, many web-accessible databases focusing on the molecular cargoes of EVs have emerged. In this chapter, we summarize currently available online nucleic acid databases for EV research, including exoCarta, miRandola 2017, exoRBase 2.0, EVAtlas, Vesiclepedia 2019, exRNA Atlas, deepBase v3.0, and EVLncRNAs v2.0. Furthermore, we provide a detailed discussion of information on EV statistics, features, usage, and expression among these databases. These databases may facilitate the discovery of regulatory mechanisms, biological functions, and clinical biomarkers associated with EVs.