Galectokines: The Promiscuous Relationship between Galectins and Cytokines

Galectins, a family of glycan-binding proteins, are well-known for their role in shaping the immune microenvironment. They can directly affect the activity and survival of different immune cell subtypes. Recent evidence suggests that galectins also indirectly affect the immune response by binding to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomolecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-09, Vol.12 (9), p.1286
Main Authors: Sanjurjo, Lucía, Broekhuizen, Esmee C, Koenen, Rory R, Thijssen, Victor L J L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apoptosis
Binding proteins
Biology
cancer
Cell cycle
Cell survival
chemokine
Cytokines
Cytokines - metabolism
Galectins - metabolism
glycobiology
Homeostasis
Immune response
Immune system
Immunity
Immunomodulation
Immunoregulation
Immunotherapy
Ligands
Lymphocytes
Microenvironments
Pathogens
Pattern recognition
Physiological aspects
Polysaccharides - metabolism
protein interaction
Proteins
Review
Tumor necrosis factor-TNF
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Summary:Galectins, a family of glycan-binding proteins, are well-known for their role in shaping the immune microenvironment. They can directly affect the activity and survival of different immune cell subtypes. Recent evidence suggests that galectins also indirectly affect the immune response by binding to members of another immunoregulatory protein family, i.e., cytokines. Such galectin-cytokine heterodimers, here referred to as galectokines, add a new layer of complexity to the regulation of immune homeostasis. Here, we summarize the current knowledge with regard to galectokine formation and function. We describe the known and potential mechanisms by which galectokines can help to shape the immune microenvironment. Finally, the outstanding questions and challenges for future research regarding the role of galectokines in immunomodulation are discussed.
ISSN:2218-273X
2218-273X
DOI:10.3390/biom12091286