Immunohistochemical localization of galectin-3 in the pig retina during postnatal development

PURPOSE The differential level and localization of galectin-3 protein were examined in the retinas of two-day-old pigs and six-month-old pigs. METHODS The retinas sampled from two-day-old and six-month-old pigs were analyzed by western blot and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS western blot analysis detected galectin-3 in both age groups, although the levels were significantly higher in six-month-old pigs. Immunohistochemical staining showed that galectin-3 was localized in the retinas of both two-day-old pigs and six-month-old pigs; the galectin-3 immunostaining was more intense in the six-month-old pig retina, as shown in the western blot analysis. Galectin-3 was expressed in glial cells, particularly in glutamine synthetase-positive Müller cells and their processes, across all retina layers in both age groups; however, it was not found in ganglion cells of the ganglion cell layer or neuronal cells of the inner and outer nuclear cell layers in either age group. CONCLUSIONS This is the first demonstration that galectin-3 is detected in the retinas of two-day-old pigs and that the expression in Müller cells increases with postnatal development.