title: Galectins in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex and common systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and hyperplasia. Multiple proteins, cells, and pathways have been identified to contribute to the pathogenesis of RA. Galectins are a group of lectins that bind to β-galactoside carbohydrates on the cell surface and in the extracellular matrix. They are expressed in a wide variety of tissues and organs with the highest expression in the immune system. Galectins are potent immune regulators and modulate a range of pathological processes, such as inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer. Accumulated evidence shows that several family members of galectins play positive or negative roles in the disease development of RA, through their effects on T and B lymphocytes, myeloid lineage cells, and fibroblast-like synoviocytes. In this review, we will summarize the function of different galectins in immune modulation and their distinct roles in RA pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Yangsheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Koehn
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA ; The Eppley Cancer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Zhixin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA ; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA ; The Eppley Cancer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Kaihong
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Su
keywords: Fibroblast-like synoviocytes; Galectin; Inflammation; Pathogenesis; Rheumatoid arthritis; T cells