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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Experimental Metastasis Assay
Published on: August 25, 2010
Galectin-3 and metastasis
Yukinori Takenaka1, Tomoharu Fukumori, Avraham Raz
1Tumor Progression and Metastasis Program, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA.
Abstract:
Galectin-3, a 31 kDa member of the beta-galactoside-binding proteins, is an intracellular and extracellular lectin which interacts with intracellular glycoproteins, cell surface molecules and extracellular matrix proteins. Galectin-3 is expressed widely in epithelial and immune cells and its expression is correlated with cancer aggressiveness and metastasis. Galectin-3 is involved in various biological phenomena including cell growth, adhesion, differentiation, angiogenesis and apoptosis. Recent research revealed that galectin-3 is associated with several steps of invasion and metastasis, like angiogenesis, cell-matrix interaction, dissemination through blood flow and extravasation. Recently, we and others have shown that galectin-3 can be a reliable diagnostic marker in certain cancers and one of the target proteins of cancer treatment. In this review, we describe the involvement of galectin-3 in each steps of metastasis and clinical significance of galectin-3.
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