1. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2012 Jan 1;17:438-50.

A distinctive role for galectin-7 in cancer ?

St-Pierre Y(1), Campion CG, Grosset AA.

Author information: 
(1)INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Universite du Quebec, 531 Blvd des Prairies,
Laval, Quebec, Canada, H7V 1B7. yves.st-pierre@iaf.inrs.ca

The galectins are a family of evolutionay-conserved carbohydrate-binding
proteins. They are distributed widely in all living organisms and have been
implicated in many essential functions including development, differentiation,
cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix interaction, growth regulation, apoptosis.
Several members of the galectin family have also been shown to be involved in
cancer progression and metastasis. In the case of galectin-7, several studies
have reported alterations in its expression pattern during cancer progression. In
a variety of tumors, its expression can range from being completely
down-regulated to highly up-regulated. Accordingly, its precise role in this
field is still debated. The evidence shows that galectin-7 may promote or inhibit
cancer development. In this article, we review the data concerning expression and
roles of galectin-7 in cancer and propose a comprehensive view of its
contribution during cancer progression.

PMID: 22201754  [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]