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Tissue- and cell-specific localization of galectins, β-galactose-binding animal lectins, and their potential functions in health and disease

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Abstract

Fifteen galectins, β-galactose-binding animal lectins, are known to be distributed throughout the body. We herein summarize current knowledge on the tissue- and cell-specific localization of galectins and their potential functions in health and disease. Galectin-3 is widely distributed in epithelia, including the simple columnar epithelium in the gut, stratified squamous epithelium in the gut and skin, and transitional epithelium and several regions in nephrons in the urinary tract. Galectin-2 and galectin-4/6 are gut-specific, while galectin-7 is found in the stratified squamous epithelium in the gut and skin. The reproductive tract mainly contains galectin-1 and galectin-3, and their expression markedly changes during the estrous/menstrual cycle. The galectin subtype expressed in the corpus luteum (CL) changes in association with luteal function. The CL of women and cows displays a “galectin switch” with coordinated changes in the major galectin subtype and its ligand glycoconjugate structure. Macrophages express galectin-3, which may be involved in phagocytotic activity. Lymphoid tissues contain galectin-3-positive macrophages, which are not always stained with the macrophage marker, F4/80. Subsets of neurons in the brain and dorsal root ganglion express galectin-1 and galectin-3, which may contribute to the regeneration of damaged axons, stem cell differentiation, and pain control. The subtype-specific contribution of galectins to implantation, fibrosis, and diabetes are also discussed. The function of galectins may differ depending on the tissues or cells in which they act. The ligand glycoconjugate structures mediated by glycosyltransferases including MGAT5, ST6GAL1, and C2GnT are important for revealing the functions of galectins in healthy and disease states.

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Prof. Toshihiko Iwanaga of the Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine for his constant encouragement and contribution to this study. I express my deep appreciation to Prof. W. Colin Duncan and Dr. Andrew W. Horne of the University of Edinburgh and to Prof. Kiyoshi Okuda, the president of the Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, as well as to Mr. Kazuhisa Hashiba and Dr. Masahiro Sano of the Okayama University Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science for their kind contributions to this study. I also thank Prof. Masahiko Watanabe and Dr. Hidemi Shimizu, who helped to establish the subtype-specific antibodies for galectins, as well as Ms. Kanako Watanabe, Ms. Arisa Kudo, Ms. Konomi Takemoto, and Mr. Tomone Ueki, students at the Hokkaido University School of Medicine, and Mr. Tetsuya Itabashi, a student at the Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, for their participation in the experiments.

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  1. Laboratory of Histology and Cytology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita 15-Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan

    Junko Nio-Kobayashi

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  1. Junko Nio-Kobayashi
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Correspondence to Junko Nio-Kobayashi.

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Nio-Kobayashi, J. Tissue- and cell-specific localization of galectins, β-galactose-binding animal lectins, and their potential functions in health and disease. Anat Sci Int 92, 25–36 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-016-0366-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-016-0366-6

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