Here we report the first survey of galectins binding to glycoproteins of human serum. Serum was subjected to affinity chromatography using immobilized galectins, and the bound glycoproteins were analyzed by electrophoresis, Western blotting, and mass spectrometry. Galectins-3, -8, and -9 bound a much broader range of ligands in serum than previously known, galectin-1 bound less, and galectins-2...

Human pituitary tumor transforming gene (PTTG) overexpression correlates with metastasis in multiple tumors, and yet its molecular mechanisms of action remain elusive. We detected PTTG overexpression in 66% (111 of 169) of primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tumor tissues by in situ hybridization. PTTG overexpression correlated with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Ectopic PTTG o...

BACKGROUND Recent evidence suggests a two-way interaction between the immune and circadian systems. Circadian control of immune factors, as well as the effect of immunological variables on circadian rhythms, might be key elements in both physiological and pathological responses to the environment. Among these relevant factors, galectin-1 is a member of a family of evolutionarily-conserved glyca...

Cell motility and resistance to apoptosis characterize glioblastoma (GBM) growth and malignancy. In our current work we report that galectin-1, a homodimeric adhesion molecule and carbohydrate-binding protein with affinity for beta-galactosides, is linked with cell surface expression of integrin beta1 and the process of integrin trafficking. Using immunofluorescence, depletion of galectin-1 thr...

The interaction of cells with the extracellular matrix regulates cell adhesion and motility. Here we demonstrate that different cell types adhere and spread when cultured in serum-free medium on immobilized galectin-8, a mammalian beta-galactoside-binding protein. At maximal doses, galectin-8 is equipotent to fibronectin in promoting cell adhesion and spreading. Cell adhesion to immobilized gal...

background: previous studies have shown that galectin-3, a member of lectin family, is expressed in developing cartilage in mouse embryo and also in growth plate of long bones.   objective: in the present work, the expression pattern of galectin-3 in normal and various grades of osteoarthritic (oa) human articular cartilage has been studied.   methods: using immunohistochemistry and standard we...

introduction : galectin-3, a member of the family of β-galactoside-binding animal lectins, has been implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis. materials and methods : using an elisakit, we assessed the circulating levels of galectin-3 in sera from 40 oral squamous cell carcinoma (oscc) patients and from 43 healthy controls. results : serum galectin-3 levels in oscc patients were significantly...

CONTEXT Patients with primary aldosteronism are associated with increased myocardial fibrosis. Galectin-3 is one of the most important mediators between macrophage activation and myocardial fibrosis. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether aldosterone induces galectin-3 secretion in vitro and in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS We investigated the possible molecular mechanism of aldosterone-induced galec...

Galectins constitute a family of proteins that bind to beta-galactoside residues and have diverse physiological functions. Here we report on the identification of a galectin-like molecule, galectin-12, in a human adipose tissue cDNA library. The protein contained two potential carbohydrate-recognition domains with the second carbohydrate-recognition domain being less conserved compared with oth...

Background: Over the past century, the areas of genomics, proteomics and lipids have captured the attention of investigators worldwide. Carbohydrates, have recently received increased attention through the expanding field of glycobiology; probably because they are very complex and not encoded in the genome. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to express and purify recombinant human galec...