Gustavsson Per, Linsmeier Cecilia Eriksson, Leffler Hakon, Kanje Martin
Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Neuroreport. 2007 May 7;18(7):669-73. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e3280bef97b.
The production of galectin-3, a carbohydrate-binding mammalian lectin, is upregulated in Schwann cells after peripheral nerve injury in areas where Schwann cells proliferate. Here we tested if galectin-3 affected proliferation of Schwann cells in cultured sciatic nerve segments. Galectin-3 significantly decreased the number of bromodeoxyuridine-labelled Schwann cell nuclei. Neither lactose nor a synthetic inhibitor directed against the carbohydrate-binding region abolished the effects of galectin-3. In addition, a mutant galectin-3 unable to bind endogenous carbohydrates had similar effects as normal galectin-3. We conclude that galectin-3 reduces proliferation of Schwann cells in cultured sciatic nerve segments by a mechanism which is independent of its carbohydrate-binding moiety.
