Secreted, extracellular galectin-1 (exGal-1) but not intracellular Gal-1 (inGal-1) has been described as a strong immunosuppressive protein due to its major activity of inducing apoptosis of activated T-cells. It has previously been reported that T-cells express Gal-1 upon activation, however its participation in T-cell functions has remained largely elusive. To determine function of Gal-1 expr...

Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is a β-galactoside-binding protein involved in various biologic processes, including cell aggregation, adhesion, chemoattraction, and apoptosis. Little is known, however, about the regulation mechanisms of Gal-9 production. Recent studies reported high plasma Gal-9 levels in humans infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 and dengue virus. Viral respiratory infections suc...

Novel reductively degradable α-amino acid-based poly(ester amide)-graft-galactose (SSPEA-Gal) copolymers were designed and developed to form smart nano-vehicles for active hepatoma-targeting doxorubicin (DOX) delivery. SSPEA-Gal copolymers were readily synthesized via solution polycondensation reaction of di-p-toluenesulfonic acid salts of bis-l-phenylalanine 2,2-thiodiethanol diester and bis-v...

Purpose: Radiotherapy can result in lymphopenia, which has been linked to poorer survival. Here, we test the hypothesis that radiotherapy-induced lymphopenia is mediated by a tumor-secreted factor, Galectin-1 (Gal-1), which possesses T-cell proapoptotic activities. Experimental Design: Matched Gal-1 wild-type (WT) or null mice were implanted with Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC-1) that either express...

Galectin-1 (Gal-1) has recently been identified as a key molecule that plays important roles in the regulation of neural progenitor cell proliferation in two neurogenic regions: the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricle and the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. To test the hypothesis that Gal-1 contributes to adult neurogenesis after focal ischemia, we studied the ...

Galectin-9 (Gal-9) has gained attention as a multifaceted player in adaptive and innate immunity. To elucidate the role of Gal-9, we used a mouse model of partial liver ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) with wild type (WT) and Gal-9 knockout (KO) mice as well as a recombinant galectin-9 (reGal-9) protein. We found that the expression of Gal-9 was enhanced endogenously in the liver especially by...

We have previously produced a series of antigalactose (anti-Gal) hybridomas and characterized their heavy chain gene usage. Here we have quantified the affinity of these Abs for the alpha-Gal epitope and characterized their in vitro effects on endothelial cell activation and apoptosis. We report that anti-Gal mAbs derived from Gal(-/-) mice show a range of affinity for the alpha-Gal epitope, an...

The literature on Galectin-3 (Gal-3) was systematically reviewed to achieve more robust information on its histologic reliability in identifying thyroid cancers and on the concordance between Gal-3 test in histologic and cytologic samples. A computer search of the PubMed and Scopus databases was conducted by combinations of the terms thyroid and Gal-3. Initially, 545 articles were found and, af...

The immunohistochemical distribution of galanin (Gal) in the brain and pituitary of Rhinella arenarum was studied during development. Gal-immunoreactivity was first observed in the brain just after hatching in anterior preoptic area, infundibular area, median eminence and pars distalis of the pituitary as well as in the olfactory epithelium. At the beginning of prometamorphosis new Gal-immunore...

Insights into Bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) functions during forebrain development have been limited by a lack of Bmp signaling readouts. Here we used a novel Bmp signaling reporter ("BRE-gal" mice) to study Bmp signaling in the dorsal telencephalon. At early stages, BRE-gal expression was restricted to the dorsal telencephalic midline. At later stages, strong BRE-gal expression occurred in ...