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. 2020 Dec;4(4):173-179.
doi: 10.1016/j.livres.2020.11.001. Epub 2020 Nov 4.

Overexpression of Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Tahereh Setayesh  1 , Steven D Colquhoun  2 , Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan  1
Affiliations

Overexpression of Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Tahereh Setayesh et al. Liver Res. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Galectins (Gals) are evolutionarily conserved proteins that bind to β-galactoside containing glycans. Abnormal expression of Gals is associated with the development, progression, and metastasis of different types of cancer. Among the 11 Gals identified in humans, the roles of Gal-1 and Gal-3 have been extensively investigated in various tumors. Here, we summarize the roles of overly expressed Gal-1 and Gal-3 in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The overexpression of Gal-1 and Gal-3 correlates with tumor growth, HCC cell migration and invasion, tumor aggressiveness, metastasis, and poor prognosis. A potentially promising future treatment strategy for HCC may include the combination of immunotherapy with Gal-1 inhibition. Additional research is warranted to investigate targeting Gal-1 and Gal-3 for HCC treatment.

Keywords: Cirrhosis; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); Fibrosis; Galectin-1 (Gal-1); Galectin-3 (Gal-3); Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); Liver cancer; Metastasis; Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.. Gal-1 and Gal-3 in HCC development.
Gal-1 and Gal-3 are overly expressed in HCC. Gal-1 is involved in tumor-associated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), favoring tumor cell proliferation, adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as tumor progression, T cell apoptosis, metastasis, and overall survival. Gal-3 plays a role in the progression of HCC by regulating angiogenesis, apoptosis, adhesion to ECM, invasion, migration, metastasis, and overall survival. Fig. 1 was generated using tools available at BioRender.com. Abbreviations: Gal, Galectin; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; HSC, hepatic stellate cell.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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