Galectin-8 inhibition and functions in immune response and tumor biology

Purić, Edvin (author), Nilsson, Ulf J. (author), Anderluh, Marko (author)

Galectins are among organisms' most abundantly expressed lectins (carbohydrate-binding proteins) that specifically bind β-galactosides. They act not only outside the cell, where they bind to extracellular matrix glycans, but also inside the cell, where they have a significant impact on signaling pathways. Galectin-8 is a galectin family protein encoded by the LGALS8 gene. Its role is evident in both T- and B-cell immunity and in the innate immune response, where it acts directly on dendritic cells and induces some pro-inflammatory cytokines. Galectin-8 also plays an important role in the defense against bacterial and viral infections. It is known to promote antibacterial autophagy by recognizing and binding glycans present on the vacuolar membrane, thus acting as a danger receptor. The most important role of galectin-8 is the regulation of cancer growth, metastasis, tumor progression, and tumor cell survival. Importantly, the expression of galectins is typically higher in tumor tissues than in noncancerous tissues. In this review article, we focus on galectin-8 and its function in immune response, microbial infections, and cancer. Given all of these functions of galectin-8, we emphasize the importance of developing new and selective galectin-8 inhibitors and report the current status of their development.

• Language: English
• Keywords: galectins, galectin-8, galectin-8 inhibitors, immune response, tumor
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 2236-2265
• Numbering: Vol. 44, iss. 5
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-160174
• UDC: 616-097:616-006
• ISSN on article: 1098-1128
• DOI: 10.1002/med.22041
• COBISS.SI-ID: 192485379
• Publication date in RUL: 22.08.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Medicinal research reviews
• Shortened title: Med. res. rev.
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1098-1128
• COBISS.SI-ID: 512824089

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: galektini, galektin-8, zaviralci galektina-8, imunski odziv, tumorji

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0208
• Name: Farmacevtska kemija: načrtovanje, sinteza in vrednotenje učinkovin

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 765581
• Name: Multidisciplinary European Joint Doctorate in the Design and Development of Glyco Drugs
• Acronym: PhD4GlycoDrug