Tumor cells present a dynamic expression of galectins during metastasis

A group of researchers from IPATIMUP found that the differential expression of galectin-1 and galectin-3 participates in the process of metastasis in a spontaneous canine model of breast cancer.

Authors and Affiliations:

Joana T. de Oliveira^1,2,3, Augusto J. de Matos², Rita Barros¹, Cláudia Ribeiro¹, Asaf Chen¹, Venceslau Hespanhol⁴, Gerard R Rutteman^5,6 and Fátima Gärtner^1,2

¹Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the , University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

²Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

³Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusophone University Humanities and Technologies Lisbon, Portugal 

⁴Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

⁵Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands

⁶De Wagenrenk Specialist Veterinary Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Abstract:

Galectin-1 and galectin-3 are carbohydrate-binding proteins that have been implicated in the pathobiology of several types of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of both these galectins in canine non-neoplastic mammary tissues and mammary tumours (CMT). Protein and mRNA expression of galectin-1 and -3 were assessed in 12 benign and 41 malignant CMT. Results: Galectin-1 was overexpressed in the majority of malignant CMT cases in tumour cells and stroma. Its expression in malignant tumour cells was associated with smaller sized tumours. Distant metastases presented a strong intensity of galectin-1 and reduced galectin-3 expression, while the opposite was observed in circulating tumour cells. Interestingly intravascular tumour cells presented galectin-3 up-regulation at the mRNA level. Double-labelling further made it clear that galectin-3 and galectin-1 expression did not overlap in normal-adjacent mammary and CMT cells. Taken together, our data suggest that malignant CMT cell subpopulations present alternating expression of galectin-1 or galectin-3. These might confer survival advantage to tumour cells in different phases of tumour progression.

Journal:

Anticancer Research

Link:

http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/34/5/2211.long