Goud Nerella Sridhar, Bhattacharya Ahana
Department of Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology (NIIR), National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru-560 029, India.
Mini Rev Med Chem. 2021;21(15):2169-2186. doi: 10.2174/1389557521666210217093815.
Galectin-1 (Gal-1), a 14kDa carbohydrate-binding protein of the galectin family found in humans, affects intracellular signaling pathways upon interaction with β-galactosides on cell-surface, cytosol, and nucleus. The structural information reveals that it consists of a monovalent dimer composed of subunits with one Carbohydrate Recognition Domain (CRD), which is the main active site to interact with various glycoproteins, and carbohydrates in the body to regulate cellular functions. Gal-1 contributes towards different events associated with cancer biology, including tumor transformation, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, cell adhesion, migration, and inflammation. The extracellular existence and function of Gal-1 have been well-established, and it is known to express in many tumor types, including astrocytoma, melanoma, prostate, colon, bladder, and ovarian carcinomas, etc. Several studies suggested the upregulation of Gal-1 levels in multiple cancer cells. Thus, Gal-1 is a promising molecular target for the development of new therapeutic tools. The present review focuses on the functions of Gal-1 in tumor progression in multiple cancers and its structural insights.
半乳糖凝集素-1（Gal-1）是一种在人类中发现的14kDa半乳糖凝集素家族的碳水化合物结合蛋白，在与细胞表面、细胞质和细胞核中的β-半乳糖苷相互作用时会影响细胞内信号通路。结构信息显示，它由一个单价二聚体组成，该二聚体由具有一个碳水化合物识别结构域（CRD）的亚基组成，CRD是与体内各种糖蛋白和碳水化合物相互作用以调节细胞功能的主要活性位点。Gal-1参与了与癌症生物学相关的不同事件，包括肿瘤转化、细胞周期调节、细胞凋亡、细胞黏附、迁移和炎症。Gal-1的细胞外存在和功能已得到充分证实，已知它在多种肿瘤类型中表达，包括星形细胞瘤、黑色素瘤、前列腺癌、结肠癌、膀胱癌和卵巢癌等。多项研究表明多种癌细胞中Gal-1水平上调。因此，Gal-1是开发新治疗工具的一个有前景的分子靶点。本综述重点关注Gal-1在多种癌症肿瘤进展中的功能及其结构见解。
