Alterations in exosomal miRNA profile upon epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human lung cancer cell lines

Background Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is regarded as a critical event during tumor metastasis. Recent studies have revealed changes and the contributions of proteins in/on exosomes during EMT. Besides proteins, microRNA (miRNA) is another important functional component of exosomes. We hypothesized that the miRNA profile of exosomes may change following EMT and these exosomal miRNAs may in return promote EMT, migration and invasion of cancer cells. Results The small RNA profile of exosomes was altered following EMT. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that the specific miRNAs of M-exosomes have the potential to drive signal transduction networks in EMT and cancer progression. Co-culture experiments confirmed that M-exosomes can enter epithelial cells and promote migration, invasion and expression of mesenchymal markers in the recipient cells. Conclusion Our results reveal changes in the function and miRNA profile of exosomes upon EMT. M-exosomes can promote transfer of the malignant (mesenchymal) phenotype to epithelial recipient cells. Further, the miRNAs specifically expressed in M-exosomes are associated with EMT and metastasis, and may serve as new biomarkers for EMT-like processes in lung cancer. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-5143-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.