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Review
. 2022 Dec 25;24(1):341.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24010341.

Galectin-2 in Health and Diseases

Muhammed N Negedu  1 , Carrie A Duckworth  2 , Lu-Gang Yu  1
Affiliations
Review

Galectin-2 in Health and Diseases

Muhammed N Negedu et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Galectin-2 is a prototype member of the galactoside-binding galectin family. It is predominately expressed in the gastrointestinal tract but is also detected in several other tissues such as the placenta and in the cardiovascular system. Galectin-2 expression and secretion by epithelial cells has been reported to contribute to the strength of the mucus layer, protect the integrity of epithelia. A number of studies have also suggested the involvement of galectin-2 in tissue inflammation, immune response and cell apoptosis. Alteration of galectin-2 expression occurs in inflammatory bowel disease, coronary artery diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and pregnancy disorders and has been shown to be involved in disease pathogenesis. This review discusses our current understanding of the role and actions of galectin-2 in regulation of these pathophysiological conditions.

Keywords: apoptosis; galectin-2; gastrointestinal tract; immune cell; pregnancy disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The structure of human galectin-2. The top panel shows galectin-2 molecule in 3D (Protein Atlas HGNC:6562) with the two beta sheets S1–S6 and F1–F5 marked. The bottom panel shows the galectin-2 amino acid sequence with mapped regions of the two beta sheets and the sugar binding pocket (with the tryptophan Trp65 residue in red).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Putative effect of galectin-2 in pathophysiology. Studies in mice have suggested that galectin-2 expression and secretion in the gastrointestinal tract contribute to mucosal barrier maintenance and preserve epithelial architecture. Galectin-2 expression in the placenta has shown to support foetal vasculature development in pregnancy. Galectin-2 has also been reported to be involved in MI pathogenesis and atherosclerosis in the heart. Galectin-2 expression in breast cancer was shown to correlate with good prognosis. Higher level of circulating galectin-2 showed to promote tumour cell hematogenous dissemination and endothelial secretion of metastasis-promoting cytokines.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Possible effects of galectin-2 on activity of different cell types. Studies using mouse gastric epithelial cells have suggested the involvement of galectin-2 in protection of epithelial integrity of the GI tract. Several studies have also reported a role of galectin-2 in promoting immune cell apoptosis and induction of cytokine secretion by T cells, macrophages, trophoblasts and cancer cells. Galectin-2 was shown to recognize the blood group-associated glycans and to contribute to erythrocyte agglutination. Multiple galectin-2 SNPs are observed in cardiovascular and have been proposed to regulate tissue inflammation. Reduction of galectin-2 expression by trophoblasts has shown to be associated with pregnancy-associated disorders.
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