Therapeutic outlooks for Gal-1 and genotoxic agents

Gal1 belongs to a family of soluble lectins that have both intracellular and extracellular functions. Elevated Gal1 is implicated in numerous signaling cascades, immune response pathways, and chemotherapy resistance, and may contribute to proliferation or cell death, depending on cancer cell type. Chen et al. describe a new interaction between Gal1 and PARP1 in non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines, which enhances DNA damage response and reduces cell death. Furthermore, the authors show that tumors can be resensitized to etoposide treatment using Gal1 inhibitors. They further explore the role of PARP1 in homologous recombination and that of Gal1 in cell metastasis.