Abstract
Galectins are a family of soluble β-galactoside-binding proteins with diverse glycan-dependent and glycan-independent functions outside and inside the cell. Human cells express twelve out of sixteen recognized mammalian galectin genes and their expression profiles are very different between cell types and tissues. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the changes in the expression of individual galectins at mRNA and protein levels in different types of differentiating cells and the effects of recombinant galectins on cellular differentiation. A new model of galectin regulation is proposed considering the change in O-GlcNAc homeostasis between progenitor/stem cells and mature differentiated cells. The recognition of galectins as regulatory factors controlling cell differentiation and self-renewal is essential for developmental and cancer biology to develop innovative strategies for prevention and targeted treatment of proliferative diseases, tissue regeneration, and stem-cell therapy.
Highlights
Galectins are a family of soluble β-galactoside-binding proteins with diverse glycan-dependent and glycan-independent functions outside and inside the animal cell [1,2]
Galectins are involved in regulating cell differentiation and maintaining cell stemness and self-renewal, there is still a limited amount of understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways responsible for expression, redistribution, and localization of galectins in cells
Galectin gene and protein expression profiles are different between cell types and tissues and the galectin network undergo significant changes in differentiating cells, producing different phenotypes
Summary
Galectins are a family of soluble β-galactoside-binding proteins with diverse glycan-dependent and glycan-independent functions outside and inside the animal cell [1,2]. Galectins function mostly through a glycan-independent mode, binding allosterically to regulatory proteins that control pre-mRNA splicing, signal transduction, gene expression, and apoptosis [10,14]. The tissue-specific signature of galectin expression suggests the galectin network may act as through mechanisms controlling cellular differentiation and stem cell self-renewal that requires a systematic review of relevant participation or involvement of galectins. We have proposed that the regulatory functions of galectins toward cell self-renewal and differentiation depend on the localization of galectins in cells which may be driven by O-GlcNAc signaling mechanisms [31,32]. This review aims to explore the available evidence on the potential involvements of individual galectins in processes of cellular differentiation and to explore formal links to relevant O-GlcNAc cellular homeostasis
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