title: The role of galectin-4 in physiology and diseases.
abstract: Galectin-4, a tandem repeat member of the β-galactoside-binding proteins, possesses two carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRD) in a single peptide chain. This lectin is mostly expressed in epithelial cells of the intestinal tract and secreted to the extracellular. The two domains have 40% similarity in amino acid sequence, but distinctly binding to various ligands. Just because the two domains bind to different ligands simultaneously, galectin-4 can be a crosslinker and crucial regulator in a large number of biological processes. Recent evidence shows that galectin-4 plays an important role in lipid raft stabilization, protein apical trafficking, cell adhesion, wound healing, intestinal inflammation, tumor progression, etc. This article reviews the physiological and pathological features of galectin-4 and its important role in such processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 50012, China.
authors.forename: Zhan-Qi
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 50012, China. guoxl@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiu-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D004705:Endocytosis; D037541:Galectin 4 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D037541:Galectin 4
keywords: crosslinker; galectin-4; intestinal inflammation; lipid raft; tumor progression