Galectin-9 is a member of the galectin family, which induces various biological reactions such as chemotaxis of eosinophils and apoptosis of T cells. We previously reported that polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly IC), an authentic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), induces the expression of galectin-9 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In the present study, we addressed the possib...

BACKGROUND The simultaneous correlation of serum galectin-1, galectin-3, and 90K/Mac-2BP levels with clinical stages of patients with colorectal cancer has not yet been clarified. We plan to measure the serum levels of galectin-1, galectin-3, and 90K/Mac-2BP of patients at different stages of colorectal cancer and analyze the correlation of these galectins with stages of colorectal cancers. M...

Although Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc (LacNAc) moieties are the most common constituents of N-linked glycans on vertebrate proteins, GalNAc beta 1-4GlcNAc (LacdiNAc, LDN)-containing glycans are widespread in invertebrates, such as helminths. We postulated that LDN might be a molecular pattern for recognition of helminth parasites by the immune system. Using LDN-based affinity chromatography and mass spec...

Galectin-1 and galectin-3 are abundantly expressed at implantation sites in the uterus, suggesting their involvement in the establishment of pregnancy. In this study, we examined the expression and localization of galectin-1 and galectin-3 in fallopian tubes from nonpregnant women, and in those presenting with tubal ectopic pregnancy. There was no significant difference in the expression of eit...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression levels of the T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein-3 (TIM-3) and galectin-9 proteins and their clinical value in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Chinese patients. The expression profiles of TIM-3 and galectin-9 in ESCC were determined by the immunohistochemical analysis of the postoperative patholog...

BACKGROUND Galectin-3 has been implicated in the development of organ fibrosis. It is unknown whether it is a relevant therapeutic target in cardiac remodeling and heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS Galectin-3 knock-out and wild-type mice were subjected to angiotensin II infusion (2.5 µg/kg for 14 days) or transverse aortic constriction for 28 days to provoke cardiac remodeling. The efficacy ...

Address: 1Department of Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka 545-8585, Japan, 2Department Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka 545-8585, Japan, 3Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8397, Japan, 4Department of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tei...

Galectin-1 and galectin-3, galactoside-binding lectins with molecular weights of M(r) 14,500 and 31,000, respectively, are expressed in normal and malignant cells and have been implicated in regulation of cell growth, adhesion, and metastasis. We analyzed the expression of galectins in 21 cultured human colon carcinoma cell lines by immunoblotting. Galectin-1 was detected in only 7, whereas gal...

BACKGROUND Heart failure is accompanied by abnormalities in ventricular-vascular interaction due to increased myocardial and arterial stiffness. Galectin-3 is a recently discovered biomarker that plays an important role in myocardial and vascular fibrosis and heart failure progression. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine whether galectin-3 is correlated with arterial stiffening ...

Galectin-3 is a member of a growing family of animal beta-galactoside-binding proteins shown to be involved in cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis resistance, and tumor progression. In the present study, we investigated whether galectin-3 can protect against apoptosis induced by the loss of cell anchorage (anoikis). Because studies suggest that cellular sensitivity to anoikis is associated ...