title: Implication of galectin-3 in Wnt signaling.
abstract: Galectin-3 (gal-3), a member of the beta-galactoside-binding proteins family, was identified as a binding partner of beta-catenin. Analysis of the human gal-3 sequence reveled a structural similarity to beta-catenin as it also contains the consensus sequence (S92XXXS96) for glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) phosphorylation and can serve as its substrate. In addition, Axin, a regulator protein of Wnt that complexes with beta-catenin, also binds gal-3 using the same sequence motif identified here by a deletion mutant analysis. The data presented here give credence to the suggestion that gal-3 is a key regulator in the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway and highlight the functional similarities between gal-3 and beta-catenin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tumor Progression and Metastasis, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA.
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimura
authors.forename: Yukinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: Tomoharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukumori
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.forename: Kohji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuwano
authors.forename: Avraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060466:Axin Protein; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D051381:Rats; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: D060466:Axin Protein; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; C495268:Ctnnb1 protein, rat; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D037502:Galectin 3; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605508:Gsk3b protein, rat; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3