The Yin and the Yang of extracellular vesicles during viral infections

The role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as key players in the intercellular communication is a subject of growing interest in all areas of physiology and pathophysiology, and the field of viral infections is no exception to the rule. In this review, we focus on the current state of knowledge and remaining gaps regarding the entanglement of viruses and EVs during infections. These two entities share many similarities, mainly due to their intricated biogenesis pathways that are in constant interaction. EVs can promote the replication and dissemination of viruses within the organism, through the dysregulation of their cargo and the modulation of the innate and adaptive immune response that occurs upon infection, but they can also promote the mitigation of viral infections. Here, we examine how viruses hijack EV biogenesis pathways and describe the consequences of dysregulated EV secretion during viral infections, beneficial or not for viruses, revealing the duality of their possible effects. •Extracellular vesicles biogenesis pathways and viral replication cycles are intimately intricated.•Viruses interfere with the secretion and content of extracellular vesicles.•Extracellular vesicles can promote or mitigate viral infection depending on the context.