Department of Cell Biology and Cell Pathology, Philipps University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 14, D-35043, Marburg, Germany.
Semin Immunopathol. 2024 Jul 11;46(1-2):4. doi: 10.1007/s00281-024-01010-z.
In the galectin family, a group of lectins is united by their evolutionarily conserved carbohydrate recognition domains. These polypeptides play a role in various cellular processes and are implicated in disease mechanisms such as cancer, fibrosis, infection, and inflammation. Following synthesis in the cytosol, manifold interactions of galectins have been described both extracellularly and intracellularly. Extracellular galectins frequently engage with glycoproteins or glycolipids in a carbohydrate-dependent manner. Intracellularly, galectins bind to non-glycosylated proteins situated in distinct cellular compartments, each with multiple cellular functions. This diversity complicates attempts to form a comprehensive understanding of the role of galectin molecules within the cell. This review enumerates intracellular galectin interaction partners and outlines their involvement in cellular processes. The intricate connections between galectin functions and pathomechanisms are illustrated through discussions of intracellular galectin assemblies in immune and cancer cells. This underscores the imperative need to fully comprehend the interplay of galectins with the cellular machinery and to devise therapeutic strategies aimed at counteracting the establishment of galectin-based disease mechanisms.
在半乳糖凝集素家族中，一组凝集素通过其进化上保守的碳水化合物识别结构域联合在一起。这些多肽在各种细胞过程中发挥作用，并与疾病机制有关，如癌症、纤维化、感染和炎症。在细胞质中合成后，已描述了半乳糖凝集素在细胞外和细胞内的多种相互作用。细胞外半乳糖凝集素经常以碳水化合物依赖的方式与糖蛋白或糖脂结合。在细胞内，半乳糖凝集素与位于不同细胞区室中的非糖基化蛋白结合，每个区室都具有多种细胞功能。这种多样性使人们难以全面了解半乳糖凝集素分子在细胞内的作用。本文列举了细胞内半乳糖凝集素的相互作用伙伴，并概述了它们在细胞过程中的参与。通过讨论免疫细胞和癌细胞中的细胞内半乳糖凝集素组装，说明了半乳糖凝集素功能与病理机制之间的复杂联系。这突显了充分理解半乳糖凝集素与细胞机制相互作用的必要性，并制定旨在对抗基于半乳糖凝集素的疾病机制的治疗策略的必要性。
