Galectins are a family of soluble b-galactoside-binding animal lectins that modulate cell-to-cell adhesion and cell-to-extracellular matrix (ECM) inter- actions and play a role in tumor progression, pre-mRNA splicing and apop-tosis. The galectin-3 protein, also known as Mac-2, hMac-2, GALBP, CBP35 or LGALS3, contains a single carbohydrate binding domain, which binds galactose-containing glycoconjugates. Galectin-3 is expressed in colonic and intestinal epithelium, inflammatory macrophages, papillary and follicular carcinomas, neoplastic astrocytes and some B and T lymphocytes.
