Decreased galectin-1 immunoreactivity of the skin in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease involving motor neurons. In addition to motor neuron signs and symptoms, a lack of bedsores has been considered a feature of ALS. Recently, we revealed that galectin-1 is a component of the axonal spheroid, which is an early pathological change of the spinal cord in ALS. To investigate whether galectin-1 is associated with skin changes in ALS, we performed an immunohistochemical investigation using anti-galectin-1 antibodies. The present study revealed that galectin-1 immunoreactivity is reduced in the skin of patients with ALS, suggesting that cutaneous galectin-1 is involved in the pathological process of ALS.