P. Nangiamakker et al., INDUCTION OF TUMORIGENICITY BY GALECTIN-3 IN A NONTUMORIGENIC HUMAN BREAST-CARCINOMA CELL-LINE, International journal of oncology, 7(5), 1995, pp. 1079-1087
The human galectin-3 is a galactoside-binding protein of 31 kDa which
functions as a receptor for glycoproteins containing poly N-acetyllact
osamine side chains and as a substrate for matrix metalloproteinases-2
and -9. We studied its expression by flow cytoflourimetry, Western, N
orthern and Southern analyses, in five cultured human breast carcinoma
cell lines previously characterized as nontumorigenic, poorly metasta
tic or metastatic in nude mice. The expression of galectin-3 correlate
d with the reported tumorigenicity of the cells. The introduction of r
ecombinant galectin-3 into the null expressing non-tumorigenic BT-549
cells resulted in the acquisition of anchorage-independent growth prop
erties in all and tumorigenicity in 3/4 sense transfected cell clones.
The data indicate a relationship between galectin-3 expression and ma
lignancy of human breast carcinoma cell lines.