title: Impact of sodium butyrate on the network of adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins in human colon cancer in vitro.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The physiological compound sodium butyrate can induce differentiation in colon cancer cells in vitro. Due to the role of galectins in growth control we explored its effect on this network beyond galectins-1 and -3, with deliberate consideration of the status of microsatellite stability, for nine cell lines.
  
  
  METHODS
  Microscopical monitoring and measurement of alkaline phosphatase activity ascertained butyrate's impact on cells. Monitoring by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting with galectin-type-specific probes characterized galectin expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Controlled by expectable strong up-regulation of galectin-1 and comparatively small effects on galectin-3 regulation for galectins-4, -7, -8 and -9 were reported with no obvious association to microsatellite stability status. Neoexpression of the GAL-12 gene was observed in eight out of nine tested lines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Butyrate affects the galectin network beyond galectins-1 and -3, warranting further cell biological and histochemical studies.
authors.affiliation: Pathologisches Institut, Abteilung Angewandte Tumorbiologie, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva-Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Katzenmaier
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Tierärztliche Fakultät, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: André
authors.affiliation: Pathologisches Institut, Abteilung Angewandte Tumorbiologie, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg, Germany juergen.kopitz@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kopitz
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Tierärztliche Fakultät, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Gabius
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D020148:Butyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D037161:Galectins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D037161:Galectins; D020148:Butyric Acid; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase
keywords: Apoptosis; differentiation; glycosylation; lectin; malignancy; sialylation