Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 21, 2025
Hydrogel Arrays Enable Increased Throughput for Screening Effects of Matrix Components and Therapeutics in 3D Tumor Models
Published on: June 16, 2022
Simulating cellular galectin networks by mixing galectins in vitro reveals synergistic activity
Ruud P M Dings1, Nigam Kumar1, Sterling Mikkelson1
1Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
Background:
Even though members of the family of adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins are increasingly detected to be co-expressed, they are still being routinely tested separately. The recent discovery of heterodimer formation among galectins-1, -3, and -7 in mixtures prompts further study of their functional activities in mixtures.
Methods:
Cell agglutination, galectin binding to cells, as well as effects on cell proliferation, onset of apoptosis and migration were determined in assays using various cell types and mixtures of galectins-1, -3, and -7.
Results:
Evidence for a more than additive increases of experimental parameters was consistently obtained.
Conclusion:
Testing galectins in mixtures simulates the situation of co-expression in situ and reveals unsuspected over-additive activities. This new insight is relevant for analyzing galectin functionality in (patho)physiological conditions.
