title: Roles of galectin-3 in immune responses.
abstract: Galectins are a family of animal lectins with conserved carbohydrate-recognition domains for beta-galactoside. Galectin-3 is the only family member that is composed of a glycine/prolinerich N-terminal repeated sequence and a C-terminal carbohydrate-binding domain.Multiple functions of galectin-3 have been reported, depending on its location. Extracellular galectin-3 can bind to cell surface through glycosylated proteins and thereby trigger or modulate cellular responses such as mediator release or apoptosis. Intracellular galectin-3 has been reported to inhibit apoptosis, regulate the cell cycle, and participate in the nuclear splicing of pre-mRNA. Recent studies have revealed that galectin-3 is expressed in a variety of cell types in the immune system, constitutively or in response to microbial invasion. These studies implicate galectin-3 in both innate and adaptive immune responses, where it participates in the activation or differentiation of immune cells. This review summarizes the roles of galectin-3 in the immune system and discusses the possible underlying mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of California-Davis, 4645 Second Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
authors.forename: Huan Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fu-Tong
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ri-Yao
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000378:metabolism; D007107:Immune System / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D018448:Models, Immunological
chemical_list: D037502:Galectin 3