Wasano K, Hirakawa Y
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
J Histochem Cytochem. 1997 Feb;45(2):275-83. doi: 10.1177/002215549704500212.
Rat gastrointestinal (GI) tract is rich source of galectins, a family of mammalian galactoside-binding lectins. To determine which tissue component is the relevant glycoconjugate ligand for the galectins, we produced recombinant galectin-1 and surveyed its binding sites on tissue sections of rat GI tract. Mucin and epithelial surface glycocalyces of both gastric and intestinal mucosa were intensely stained. This finding raises the possibility that some GI tract galectins known to be secreted by the epithelia may recognize these glycoconjugates and crosslink them into a macromolecular mass. This galectin-ligand complex may play a role in protecting the epithelial surface against luminal contents such as gastric acid, digestive enzymes, and foreign organisms.
大鼠胃肠道是半乳糖凝集素的丰富来源，半乳糖凝集素是一类哺乳动物半乳糖苷结合凝集素。为了确定哪种组织成分是半乳糖凝集素相关的糖缀合物配体，我们制备了重组半乳糖凝集素-1，并研究了其在大鼠胃肠道组织切片上的结合位点。胃和肠黏膜的黏液及上皮表面糖萼均被强烈染色。这一发现增加了一种可能性，即一些已知由上皮细胞分泌的胃肠道半乳糖凝集素可能识别这些糖缀合物，并将它们交联成大分子团块。这种半乳糖凝集素-配体复合物可能在保护上皮表面免受诸如胃酸、消化酶和外来生物体等管腔内容物的侵害中发挥作用。
