Skip Navigation



Glycobiology Advance Access published online on July 13, 2006
Glycobiology, doi:10.1093/glycob/cwl025
This Article
Right arrow Advance Access manuscript (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
16/11/137R    most recent
cwl025v2
cwl025v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Camby, I.
Right arrow Articles by Kiss, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Camby, I.
Right arrow Articles by Kiss, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received February 17, 2006
Revised July 10, 2006
Accepted July 11, 2006

Review

Galectin-1: A Small Protein with Major Functions

Isabelle Camby 1, Marie Le Mercier 2, Florence Lefranc 3, and Robert Kiss 2 *

1 Laboratory of Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy; XPeDoc sprl, rue Halvaux 37, 7090 Ronquières, Belgium
2 Laboratory of Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy
3 Laboratory of Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy; Department of Neurosurgery, Erasmus University Hospital; Free University of Brussels (ULB), Brussels, Belgium

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Robert Kiss, E-mail: rkiss{at}ulb.ac.be


  Abstract

Galectins are a family of carbohydrate binding proteins with an affinity for {beta}-galactosides. Galectin-1 is differentially expressed by various normal and pathological tissues and appears to be functionally polyvalent, with a wide range of biological activity. The intracellular and extracellular activity of galectin-1 has been described. Evidence points to galectin-1 and its ligands as one of the master regulators of such immune responses as T-cell homeostasis and survival, T cell immune disorders, inflammation and allergies as well as host-pathogen interactions. Galectin-1 expression or overexpression in tumors and/or the tissue surrounding them must be considered as a sign of the malignant tumor progression that is often related to the long-range dissemination of tumoral cells (metastasis), to their dissemination into the surrounding normal tissue, and to tumor immune-escape. Galectin-1 in its oxidized form plays a number of important roles in the regeneration of the central nervous system after injury. The targeted overexpression (or delivery) of galectin-1 should be considered as a method of choice for the treatment of some kinds of inflammation-related diseases, neurodegenerative pathologies and muscular dystrophies. In contrast, the targeted inhibition of galectin-1 expression is what should be developed for therapeutic applications against cancer progression. Galectin-1 is thus a promising molecular target for the development of new and original therapeutic tools.

Keywords: cancer/inflammation/tumor immune escape/neurodegeneration/therapeutic application.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 BloodHome page
G. Werlen
Thymocyte-fate decisions: bittersweet new flavor
Blood, July 1, 2008; 112(1): 7 - 8.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Biol. Chem.Home page
S. Bi, L. A. Earl, L. Jacobs, and L. G. Baum
Structural Features of Galectin-9 and Galectin-1 That Determine Distinct T Cell Death Pathways
J. Biol. Chem., May 2, 2008; 283(18): 12248 - 12258.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Biol. Chem.Home page
S. R. Stowell, C. M. Arthur, P. Mehta, K. A. Slanina, O. Blixt, H. Leffler, D. F. Smith, and R. D. Cummings
Galectin-1, -2, and -3 Exhibit Differential Recognition of Sialylated Glycans and Blood Group Antigens
J. Biol. Chem., April 11, 2008; 283(15): 10109 - 10123.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 FASEB J.Home page
N. Pacienza, R. G. Pozner, G. A. Bianco, L. P. D'Atri, D. O. Croci, S. Negrotto, E. Malaver, R. M. Gomez, G. A. Rabinovich, and M. Schattner
The immunoregulatory glycan-binding protein galectin-1 triggers human platelet activation
FASEB J, April 1, 2008; 22(4): 1113 - 1123.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
S. R. Stowell, Y. Qian, S. Karmakar, N. S. Koyama, M. Dias-Baruffi, H. Leffler, R. P. McEver, and R. D. Cummings
Differential Roles of Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 in Regulating Leukocyte Viability and Cytokine Secretion
J. Immunol., March 1, 2008; 180(5): 3091 - 3102.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol. Cell. Biol.Home page
L. Lei, D. Liu, Y. Huang, I. Jovin, S.-Y. Shai, T. Kyriakides, R. S. Ross, and F. J. Giordano
Endothelial Expression of 1 Integrin Is Required for Embryonic Vascular Patterning and Postnatal Vascular Remodeling
Mol. Cell. Biol., January 15, 2008; 28(2): 794 - 802.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BloodHome page
V. L. J. L. Thijssen, F. Poirier, L. G. Baum, and A. W. Griffioen
Galectins in the tumor endothelium: opportunities for combined cancer therapy
Blood, October 15, 2007; 110(8): 2819 - 2827.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
S. Tasumi and G. R. Vasta
A Galectin of Unique Domain Organization from Hemocytes of the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Is a Receptor for the Protistan Parasite Perkinsus marinus
J. Immunol., September 1, 2007; 179(5): 3086 - 3098.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.