title: Expression of galectins on microvessel endothelial cells and their involvement in tumour cell adhesion.
abstract: Lactoside-binding lectins (galectins) with molecular weights of about 14.5 kDa (galectin-1) and 29-35 kDa (galectin-3) bind preferentially to polylactosaminoglycan-containing glycoconjugates and have been found on the surface of tumour cells and implicated in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion and metastasis. We have demonstrated by immunoblotting that both galectin-1 and galectin-3 are present in extracts of endothelial cells cultured from bovine aorta, rat lung, mouse lung and mouse brain microvessels, whereas mouse hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells expressed primarily galectin-1. These galectins were also localized by indirect immunofluorescent labelling on the surface of the different endothelial cells in culture and by immunohistochemical staining in human tissues in vivo. Anti-galectin-1 antibodies inhibited the adhesion of liver-preferring murine RAW117-H10 large-cell lymphoma cells to hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells or lung microvessel endothelial cells in vitro. The data indicate that galectin-1 is expressed on the extracellular surface of endothelial cells and can mediate in part the adhesion of RAW117-H10 cells to liver microvessel endothelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tumor Biology, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lotan
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Belloni
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Tressler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lotan
authors.forename: X C
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Nicolson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D037483:Galectin 1; D037502:Galectin 3; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D037102:Lectins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D051381:Rats; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D037483:Galectin 1; D037502:Galectin 3; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D037102:Lectins