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Synonyms
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AGE-R3; CBP35;
GAL3; L29; LGALS3; Mac-2; Carbohydrate-binding protein 35; CBP 35,35 kDa
lectin; Gal-3; galactin-3; Galactose-specific lectin 3; Galactoside-binding
protein; GALBPCBP35; galectin-3; GALIG; IgE-binding protein; L31; L-31;
Laminin-binding protein; Lectin L-29; lectin, galactoside-binding, soluble,
3; LGALS2; MAC-2; Mac-2 antigen; MAC2GAL3
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Background
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Human
Galectin-3 also named AGE-R3, CBP35, GAL3, L29, LGALS3, Mac-2, is belonging
to the galectins family and it is encoded by a single gene, LGALS3, located
on chromosome 14, locus q21–q22. It is expressed in the nucleus,
cytoplasm, mitochondrion, cell surface, and extracellular space. Galectin-3
is approximately 30kDa and, like all galectins, contains a
carbohydrate-recognition-binding domain (CRD) of about 130 amino acids that
enable the specific binding of β-galactosides. Given
Galectin-3's broad biological functionality, it has been demonstrated to be
involved in cancer, inflammation and fibrosis, heart disease, and stroke.
Studies have also shown that the expression of galectin-3 is implicated in a
variety of processes associated with heart failure, including myofibroblast
proliferation, fibrogenesis, tissue repair, inflammation, and Ventricular
remodeling. Human Galectin-3 shares 79% amino acid sequence identity with rat
and mouse Galectin-3, respectively.
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