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Galectins (Gals), 2nd Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2025 | Viewed by 550

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Biostructures and Bioimaging of C.N.R, V. Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
Interests: protein structure–function relationship; protein–protein interactions; thermophoresis; isothermal titration calorimetry; biophysical characterization; static and dynamic light scattering; protein folding/unfolding
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Galectins are a family of soluble proteins expressed in a broad range of animal species and present in various cell types. All these proteins share a common Carbohydrate Recognition Domain (CRD), which is directly involved in carbohydrate binding, in particular to b-galactose residues. The CRD, highly conserved in the family, consists of approximately 130 amino acids organized in a typical b-sandwich fold. The Galectins on the base of their CRD structure have been classified into three groups: proto, tandem repeat, and chimeric galectins. Galectins are mammalian lectins involved in a variety of roles, including immune regulation, cancer cell growth, and apoptosis. Galectin research is becoming increasingly important in recent years thanks to the different roles they can play in many applications as disease biomarkers, therapeutic agents, and drug targets. Given their multiple roles in infectious diseases, Galectins have emerged as a modern drug target in a broad range of infections. Many multidisciplinary approaches, encompassing molecular modeling and design, synthetic, and biological chemistry as well as biological characterization, emphasize the needs to identify and to valid new synthetic and natural molecules with a specific biological activity as the modulators of Galectins in biological and pathological processes such as cell signaling, cell adhesion, apoptosis, fibrosis, carcinogenesis, and metabolic disorders.

Dr. Luciano Pirone
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • galectin
  • inhibitors
  • cancer
  • inflammation
  • glycans
  • drug design
  • modeling
  • biomarkers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 7734 KiB  
Article
Characterization and Immune Functions of LcβLectin from Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea): A Potential Antiviral Defense Molecule
by Jiawei Zhang, Hongling Wu, Ying Huang, Yao Yang, Dinaer Yekefenhazi, Wenzheng Zou and Fang Han
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 3251; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26073251 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 267
Abstract
Large yellow croaker iridovirus (LYCIV) poses a significant threat to the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) aquaculture industry due to its rapid transmission and high lethality. Galectins, as evolutionarily conserved carbohydrate-binding lectins and pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in the innate immune [...] Read more.
Large yellow croaker iridovirus (LYCIV) poses a significant threat to the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) aquaculture industry due to its rapid transmission and high lethality. Galectins, as evolutionarily conserved carbohydrate-binding lectins and pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in the innate immune system, play crucial roles in immune responses. In this study, we characterized the beta-galactoside-binding lectin from large yellow croaker (LcβLectin) and explored its potential as a disease resistance gene against LYCIV. The full-length cDNA of LcβLectin was cloned and found to contain conserved elements, such as β-galactoside-binding motifs, HNPR, and WCEEHR domains. Using L. crocea head-kidney macrophages (LCM10), we demonstrated that recombinant LcβLectin significantly inhibits LYCIV-induced cytopathic effects and reduces macrophage apoptosis, highlighting its key role in viral defense. Moreover, the overexpression of LcβLectin in LCM10 cells followed by transcriptomic analysis revealed its substantial regulatory effects on key immune-related signaling pathways, including C-type lectin signaling, p53 signaling, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways. Collectively, our findings suggest that LcβLectin enhances fish resistance to viral diseases by augmenting immune system function and activating immune-related pathways, providing valuable insights into the innate immune mechanisms of aquatic species and potential strategies for disease prevention in aquaculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Galectins (Gals), 2nd Edition)
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