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The role of galectin-4 in physiology and diseases

Zhan-Qi Cao1, Xiu-Li Guo2

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 50012, China.

Protein & Cell
|March 28, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Galectin-4, a key intestinal lectin, acts as a crosslinker by binding different molecules. This review explores its roles in health and disease, including inflammation and tumor progression.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Galectin-4 is a tandem repeat β-galactoside-binding protein with two distinct carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRDs).
  • It is primarily expressed in intestinal epithelial cells and secreted extracellularly.
  • The two CRDs exhibit sequence similarity but bind different ligands, enabling crosslinking functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the physiological and pathological features of galectin-4.
  • To highlight the crucial regulatory roles of galectin-4 in various biological processes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing research on galectin-4.
  • Analysis of studies detailing galectin-4's involvement in cellular functions and disease states.

Main Results:

  • Galectin-4 functions as a crosslinker due to its dual-ligand binding capacity.
  • It is implicated in critical processes such as lipid raft stabilization, apical protein trafficking, and cell adhesion.
  • Evidence links galectin-4 to wound healing, intestinal inflammation, and tumor progression.

Conclusions:

  • Galectin-4 is a significant regulator in numerous biological processes.
  • Understanding galectin-4's functions is vital for insights into intestinal health and disease pathogenesis.

Keywords:
crosslinkergalectin-4intestinal inflammationlipid rafttumor progression

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