Galectins in Early Pregnancy and Pregnancy-Associated Pathologies

Galectins are a family of conserved soluble proteins defined by an affinity for β-galactoside structures present on various glycoconjugates. Over the past few decades, galectins have been recognized as important factors for successful implantation and maintenance of pregnancy. An increasing number o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2021-12, Vol.23 (1), p.69
Main Authors: Jovanović Krivokuća, Milica, Vilotić, Aleksandra, Nacka-Aleksić, Mirjana, Pirković, Andrea, Ćujić, Danica, Legner, Janko, Dekanski, Dragana, Bojić-Trbojević, Žanka
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angiogenesis
Animals
Cell cycle
Cytokines
DNA methylation
Endometrium
Estrogens
Female
Galactosides
Galectins - metabolism
Genes
Glycoconjugates
Humans
Immunological tolerance
Implantation
Menstruation
Physiology
Placenta
Placenta - metabolism
Placentation - physiology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications - metabolism
Proteins
Review
Trophoblasts - metabolism
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Summary:Galectins are a family of conserved soluble proteins defined by an affinity for β-galactoside structures present on various glycoconjugates. Over the past few decades, galectins have been recognized as important factors for successful implantation and maintenance of pregnancy. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated their involvement in trophoblast cell function and placental development. In addition, several lines of evidence suggest their important roles in feto-maternal immune tolerance regulation and angiogenesis. Changed or dysregulated galectin expression is also described in pregnancy-related disorders. Although the data regarding galectins' clinical relevance are still at an early stage, evidence suggests that some galectin family members are promising candidates for better understanding pregnancy-related pathologies, as well as predicting biomarkers. In this review, we aim to summarize current knowledge of galectins in early pregnancy as well as in pregnancy-related pathologies.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms23010069