University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Department of Cardiology, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands.
Massachusetts General Hospital, Cardiovascular Research Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Theranostics. 2018 Jan 1;8(3):593-609. doi: 10.7150/thno.22196. eCollection 2018.
Galectin-3 is a versatile protein orchestrating several physiological and pathophysiological processes in the human body. In the last decade, considerable interest in galectin-3 has emerged because of its potential role as a biotarget. Galectin-3 is differentially expressed depending on the tissue type, however its expression can be induced under conditions of tissue injury or stress. Galectin-3 overexpression and secretion is associated with several diseases and is extensively studied in the context of fibrosis, heart failure, atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus. Monomeric (extracellular) galectin-3 usually undergoes further "activation" which significantly broadens the spectrum of biological activity mainly by modifying its carbohydrate-binding properties. Self-interactions of this protein appear to play a crucial role in regulating the extracellular activities of this protein, however there is limited and controversial data on the mechanisms involved. We therefore summarize (recent) literature in this area and describe galectin-3 from a binding perspective providing novel insights into mechanisms by which galectin-3 is known to be "activated" and how such activation may be regulated in pathophysiological scenarios.
半乳糖凝集素-3 是一种多功能蛋白，在人体的多种生理和病理生理过程中发挥着重要作用。在过去的十年中，由于其作为生物靶点的潜在作用，对半乳糖凝集素-3 的研究兴趣日益浓厚。半乳糖凝集素-3 的表达因组织类型而异，但在组织损伤或应激条件下其表达可以被诱导。半乳糖凝集素-3 的过度表达和分泌与多种疾病有关，并在纤维化、心力衰竭、动脉粥样硬化和糖尿病等方面得到了广泛研究。单体（细胞外）半乳糖凝集素-3 通常会进一步“激活”，主要通过改变其碳水化合物结合特性，显著拓宽其生物活性谱。这种蛋白质的自我相互作用似乎在调节该蛋白质的细胞外活性方面起着至关重要的作用，但关于涉及的机制的信息有限且存在争议。因此，我们总结了该领域的（最新）文献，并从结合的角度描述了半乳糖凝集素-3，提供了对半乳糖凝集素-3 已知的“激活”机制的新见解，以及在病理生理情况下如何调节这种激活。
