title: Galectin-7 in lymphoma: elevated expression in human lymphoid malignancies and decreased lymphoma dissemination by antisense strategies in experimental model.
abstract: Galectin-7 is found mainly in stratified squamous epithelia as well as in various other types of cancer cells. As with other members of the galectin family, the expression of galectin-7 has been shown to negatively regulate the development of some tumors while correlating with the progression of other tumor types. For example, up-regulation of galectin-7 is associated with rat mammary carcinomas and with progression to T-cell malignancy. Here, we provide evidence indicating that galectin-7 functions as an important molecule in the dissemination of lymphoma cells in vivo. We found that stable transfection of lymphoma cells with a plasmid encoding antisense galectin-7 cDNA significantly inhibited the dissemination and invasion of lymphoma cells to peripheral organs, thereby increasing the survival of mice. We also found that inhibition of galectin-7 in aggressive lymphoma cells correlated with a decreased invasion of tumor cells in target organs and a reduced expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9, a gene associated with a poor prognosis in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We finally examined the expression of galectin-7 in 50 specimens of different mature B-cell neoplasms and found high galectin-7 expression levels in a significant proportion of mature B-cell neoplasms but not in normal B cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that galectin-7 is a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of lymphoid malignancies.
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, University of Québec, Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demers
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Biron-Pain
authors.forename: Josée
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hébert
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lamarre
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Magnaldo
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: St-Pierre
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015536:Down-Regulation; D037161:Galectins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D037161:Galectins; C092525:LGALS7 protein, human; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9