title: Galectin-3 and cancer (Review).
abstract: Galectin-3 is a pleiotropic carbohydrate-binding protein involved in a variety of normal and pathological biological processes. Its carbohydrate-binding properties constitute the basis for cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and cancer progression. Modulation of galectin-3 expression in cancer cells has indeed been reported. These observations lead to the recognition of galectin-3 as a diagnostic/prognostic marker for specific cancer types, such as thyroid and prostate. This review discusses the expression and cellular localization of galectin-3 in cancer cells, as well as its numerous functions in cancer cell biology, including cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix interactions, growth regulation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and mRNA splicing.
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Laboratory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Califice
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Castronovo
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Den Brûle
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002450:Cell Communication; D002465:Cell Movement; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D037502:Galectin 3