Top Highlights

• Galectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that regulate many cellular functions including proliferation, adhesion, migration, and phagocytosis. Increasing experimental and clinical evidence indicates that galectins influence many steps of cancer development by inducing the recruitment of immune cells to the inflammatory sites and modulating the e...
• Galectins are β-galactoside-binding proteins, belonging to the protein family of lectins that share a common amino acid sequence and the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD)
• They are expressed in vertebrates, invertebrates, and unicellular eukaryotic organisms (protists), indicating their fundamental functions during evolution
• Galectins regulate the cell cycle, inflammation, immune response, cell adhesion, and cell signaling
• cancer progression and metastasis by mediating interactions between tumor and tumor microenvironment