Department of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80082, NL-3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Biomolecules. 2021 Nov 18;11(11):1720. doi: 10.3390/biom11111720.
Galectin-7 is a soluble unglycosylated lectin that is able to bind specifically to β-galactosides. It has been described to be involved in apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation, but also in cell adhesion and migration. Several disorders and diseases are discussed by covering the aforementioned biological processes. Structural features of galectin-7 are discussed as well as targeting the protein intracellularly or extracellularly. The exact molecular mechanisms that lie behind many biological processes involving galectin-7 are not known. It is therefore useful to come up with chemical probes or tools in order to obtain knowledge of the physiological processes. The objective of this review is to summarize the roles and functions of galectin-7 in the human body, providing reasons why it is necessary to design inhibitors for galectin-7, to give the reader structural insights and describe its current inhibitors.
半乳糖凝集素-7 是一种可溶性的未糖基化的凝集素，能够特异性地结合 β-半乳糖苷。它被描述为参与细胞凋亡、增殖和分化，但也参与细胞黏附和迁移。通过涵盖上述生物过程，讨论了几种疾病和病症。还讨论了半乳糖凝集素-7 的结构特征，以及靶向细胞内或细胞外的蛋白质。许多涉及半乳糖凝集素-7 的生物过程背后的确切分子机制尚不清楚。因此，设计化学探针或工具以获得对半乳糖凝集素-7 生理过程的了解是很有用的。本文综述的目的是总结半乳糖凝集素-7 在人体中的作用和功能，说明为什么有必要设计半乳糖凝集素-7 的抑制剂，为读者提供结构见解，并描述其当前的抑制剂。
