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Galectins: structure, function and therapeutic potential

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2008

Ri-Yao Yang ,
Gabriel A. Rabinovich  and
Fu-Tong Liu
Ri-Yao Yang
Affiliation:
Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Gabriel A. Rabinovich
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Inmunopatología, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428ADN-Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fu-Tong Liu*
Affiliation:
Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA.
*
* Corresponding author: Fu-Tong Liu, Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, 3301 C Street, Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA 95816, USA. Tel: +1 916 734 6377; Fax: +1 916 442 5702; E-mail: fliu@ucdavis.edu
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Abstract

Galectins are a family of animal lectins that bind β-galactosides. Outside the cell, galectins bind to cell-surface and extracellular matrix glycans and thereby affect a variety of cellular processes. However, galectins are also detectable in the cytosol and nucleus, and may influence cellular functions such as intracellular signalling pathways through protein–protein interactions with other cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins. Current research indicates that galectins play important roles in diverse physiological and pathological processes, including immune and inflammatory responses, tumour development and progression, neural degeneration, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and wound repair. Some of these have been discovered or confirmed by using genetically engineered mice deficient in a particular galectin. Thus, galectins may be a therapeutic target or employed as therapeutic agents for inflammatory diseases, cancers and several other diseases.

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Type
Review Article
Information
Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine , Volume 10 , October 2008 , e17
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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References

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Further reading, resources and contacts

The Consortium for Functional Glycomics provides researchers with reagents, resources and services to study the functions of glycans, glycosyltransferases and lectins, including galectins:

http://www.functionalglycomics.org/static/consortium/consortium.shtmlGoogle Scholar
http://imperial.ac.uk/research/animallectins/ctld/classes/Galectin1.htmlGoogle Scholar