Galectin-8 is a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

of the

galectin Galectins are a class of proteins that bind specifically to β-galactoside sugars, such as N-acetyllactosamine, ''N''-acetyllactosamine (Galβ1-3GlcNAc or Galβ1-4GlcNAc), which can be bound to proteins by either N-linked glycosylation, N-linked o ...

family that in humans is encoded by the ''LGALS8''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

Function

This gene encodes a member of the galectin family. Galectins are beta-galactoside-binding animal

lectin Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are highly specific for sugar groups that are part of other molecules, so cause agglutination of particular cells or precipitation of glycoconjugates and polysaccharides. Lectins have a role in rec ...

s with conserved carbohydrate recognition domains. The galectins have been implicated in many essential functions including development, differentiation, cell-cell

adhesion Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another ( cohesion refers to the tendency of similar or identical particles/surfaces to cling to one another). The forces that cause adhesion and cohesion can be ...

, cell-

matrix Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...

interaction, growth regulation,

apoptosis Apoptosis (from grc, ἀπόπτωσις, apóptōsis, 'falling off') is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (morphology) and death. These changes incl ...

, and

RNA splicing RNA splicing is a process in molecular biology where a newly-made precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) transcript is transformed into a mature messenger RNA (mRNA). It works by removing all the introns (non-coding regions of RNA) and ''splicing'' b ...

. This gene is widely expressed in tumoral tissues and seems to be involved in

integrin Integrins are transmembrane receptors that facilitate cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion. Upon ligand binding, integrins activate signal transduction pathways that mediate cellular signals such as regulation of the cell cycle, ...

-like cell interactions. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been identified. Galectin-8, interacts with the mTOR regulatory system composed of SLC38A9, Ragulator, RagAB, RagCD. Galectin-8 controls

mTOR The mammalian target of sirolimus, rapamycin (mTOR), also referred to as the mechanistic target of rapamycin, and sometimes called FK506-binding protein 12-rapamycin-associated protein 1 (FRAP1), is a kinase that in humans is encoded by the ''MT ...

causing its inactivation and dissociation from damaged lysosomes, hence transducing the breach of the lysosomal membrane to mTOR. The physiological consequences of mTOR inhibition following lysosomal membrane damage encompass

autophagy Autophagy (or autophagocytosis; from the Ancient Greek , , meaning "self-devouring" and , , meaning "hollow") is the natural, conserved degradation of the cell that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components through a lysosome-dependent re ...

and

metabolic Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

switching.

Role in cellular defence

Galectin-8 has recently been shown to have a role in cellular defence, against both bacterial cytosolic infection and vacuolar damage. Many intracellular bacteria, such as ''S. enterica'' serovar Typhimurium and ''S. flexneri'' prefer to replicate inside and outside of the vacuole safety respectively, yet these vacuoles may become damaged, exposing bacteria to the host cell cytoplasm. It has been shown that the binding of galectin-8 to the damaged vacuole can recruit

adaptors such as NDP52 leading to the formation of an

autophagosome An autophagosome is a spherical structure with double layer membranes. It is the key structure in macroautophagy, the intracellular degradation system for cytoplasmic contents (e.g., abnormal intracellular proteins, excess or damaged organelles, in ...

and subsequent bacterial destruction. As knockout experiments of galectin-8 leads to more successful cytosolic replication by ''S. enterica'' serovar Typhimurium, it is thought that galectin-8 acts as a danger receptor in defence against intracellular pathogens.

Engineered Galectin 8 Assays

Galectin-8 has also been used to study endosomal disruption in the development of nanoscale

drug delivery systems A route of administration in pharmacology and toxicology is the way by which a drug, fluid, poison, or other substance is taken into the body. Routes of administration are generally classified by the location at which the substance is applied. ...

. Many drug delivery systems carrying large molecule drugs, such as antisense oligonucleotides,

siRNA Small interfering RNA (siRNA), sometimes known as short interfering RNA or silencing RNA, is a class of double-stranded RNA at first non-coding RNA molecules, typically 20-24 (normally 21) base pairs in length, similar to miRNA, and operating wi ...

peptides Peptides (, ) are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Long chains of amino acids are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty amino acids are called oligopeptides, and include dipeptides, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides. A p ...

, and

therapeutic proteins A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

, are engineered to be pH-responsive, and disrupt the endosomal membrane because of the lower pH found within progressively acidifying endosomes. Galectin-8 can be tagged with a fluorophore to track these disrupted endosomal membranes, especially when coupled with automated microscopy.

Interactions

Galectin-8 has been shown to

interact Advocates for Informed Choice, dba interACT or interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization using innovative strategies to advocate for the legal and human rights of children with intersex traits. The organizati ...

with

CD49d CD49d is an integrin alpha subunit. It makes up half of the α4β1 lymphocyte homing receptor. Function The product of this gene belongs to the integrin alpha chain family of proteins. Integrins are heterodimeric integral membrane proteins comp ...

CD29 Integrin beta-1 (ITGB1), also known as CD29, is a cell surface receptor that in humans is encoded by the ''ITGB1'' gene. This integrin associates with integrin alpha 1 and integrin alpha 2 to form integrin complexes which function as collagen r ...

and

CD49c Integrin alpha-3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''ITGA3'' gene. ITGA3 is an integrin alpha subunit. Together with beta-1 subunit, it makes up half of the α3β1 integrin duplex that plays a role in neural migration and corticogene ...

. It also interacts with components of the

mTORC1 mTORC1, also known as mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 or mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1, is a protein complex that functions as a nutrient/energy/redox sensor and controls protein synthesis. mTOR Complex 1 (mTORC1) is compo ...

complex.

Function

Role in cellular defence

Engineered Galectin 8 Assays

Interactions

References

Further reading