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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells
Published on: February 27, 2020
Galectin-3 enhances cyclin D(1) promoter activity through SP1 and a cAMP-responsive element in human breast
Huei-Min Lin1, Richard G Pestell, Avraham Raz
1Department of Pathology, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, MI 48201, USA.
Abstract:
Galectin-3 is a multifunctional carbohydrate-binding protein found in the nucleus, cytoplasm and the extracellular milieu. Nuclear galectin-3 expression is associated with cell proliferation, and its role in pre-mRNA splicing has been suggested. In this report, we investigated the role of galectin-3 on cyclin D(1) gene expression, a critical inducer of the cell cycle and a potential oncogene in human cancer. We found that galectin-3 induces cyclin D(1) promoter activity in human breast epithelial cells independent of cell adhesion through multiple cis-elements, including the SP1 and CRE sites. We present evidence that galectin-3 induction of the cyclin D(1) promoter may result from enhancement/stabilization of nuclear protein-DNA complex formation at the CRE site of the cyclin D(1) promoter. We also show that galectin-3 co-operates with, but does not depend on, pRb for cyclin D(1) promoter activation. The present study reveals a growth promoting activity of galectin-3 through cyclin D(1) induction, and suggests a novel function of nuclear galectin-3 in the regulation of gene transcription.
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